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Gardman 3 Tier Mini Greenhouse
by anwar7
I have always wanted a greenhouse but the high price has really put me off. I love gardening and especially enjoy growing fruit and vegetables. During a visit to my local garden centre last year I spotted a mini greenhouse priced at £20.A closer inspection made me decide to buy one as I thought it would be perfect for nurturing seedlings ... and protecting plants from the elements.
What you get for your money
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The 3 tier greenhouse is made by Gardman; a leading company that specialise in supplying garden and pet care products. The company have been trading since 1992 and I was interested to read that they have a partnership with the British trust for ornithology. I am always keen to buy from companies that promote wildlife, so this was a plus for me.
The greenhouse consists of three mesh shelves fixed into a tubular steel frame. There is a PVC cover that is designed to cover the frame, ensuring your plants and seeds are protected from the weather. The greenhouse comes flat packed and includes a clear set of instructions for assembly. Setting it up was really easy and took about 15 minutes. You don't need any tools and the poles of the frame simply slot together.
The three shelves slide into place and you have the option of removing a shelf to accommodate taller plants such as tomato plants. The greenhouse can be fixed to a wall with the rings provided, giving it more stability. I have it situated against a wall in a sheltered spot so haven't bothered to use the fixing rings.
This is a compact greenhouse and measuring 126 cm high x 69 cm wide and 49 cm deep. The shelves can hold up to 9 seed trays.
The PVC cover has stitched seams for extra strength. The cover has zipped openings at the front and sides allowing easy access. The cover can be rolled up and is held in place with Velcro to allow ventilation. The clear plastic allows light to enter; essential for propagation. It is possible to buy a replacement cover if needed for around £10.
When not in use the greenhouse can be collapsed and folds flat for storage.
My opinion.
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I am really pleased with this little greenhouse, although I would still like a *real* one! I live in the far north where the weather can be a little chilly at times. Last year I used it to successfully grow tomato plants. I kept them in the green house until they were well established and then transferred them to a grow bag in a sunny spot. I have also used the greenhouse to nurture delicate plants and cuttings. It is certainly better than having trays of seedlings on my kitchen windowsill!
It is important that you remember to roll up the cover when the weather is warm allowing the air to circulate. This can be a bit of a chore, but forgetting will result in lost plants!
Any negatives? - Although the cover is described as *strong*. It will probably need replacing soon as it has a few rips along the seams. At £10 for a new cover the cost of a new cover is expensive for what is after all a plastic cover!
The greenhouse is not that sturdy and could easily be blown over in high winds. You do have the option to fix it to a wall, but the wind still gets under the cover causing problems.
Overall I think this little greenhouse is well worth the outlay. It takes up little space and allows delicate plants to be nurtured. I really enjoy watching my seedlings and plants grow! The greenhouse is widely available both on line and from garden centres.
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B&Q Standard Seed Tray
by k2705
When my husband and myself moved into our own home we realised how expensive gardening could be, while we both love our garden and have, over the past few years, spent a small fortune on it we decided at the end of last summer that this year we would try and cut down a bit by collecting seed heads from our bedding plants and growing our ... own this year which is exactly what we did.
We usually shop at Homebase but a couple of months ago we were in a nearby town and popped into a large B&Q store to pick up some seed trays. The B&Q Standard Seed Trays are sold in a pack of 8 and cost just £2.28, pretty god value we thought.
The seeds trays are just like any other regular seed trays, they are made from black plastic and measure approximately 36cm's long and 23cm's wide. The depth of the trays are approximately 5cm's making them ideal for starting seeds and seedlings off.
They have plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the trays so any excess water will drain out, the drainage holes are a good size allowing water to flow through freely but not so big the compost falls through when filling them up.
As the trays are part of B&Q's Essentials Range they obviously aren't the best quality and do feel a bit bendy and flimsy however once filed with compost they do seem a little sturdier and the trays have a nice lip around the edge which helps when moving them.
We are pleased with our Standard Seed Trays and now have them sitting along the windowsills around our conservatory with flowers and vegetable seedlings growing in them.
Of course they are not deep enough to support the seedlings once grown to a reasonable size you do need to have something else to pot them on but for just getting them started these are ideal.
These would also be good if you have little ones who want to grow their own flowers or vegetables.
If you grow your own bedding plants and vegetables from seed and are looking to buy seed trays I would recommend taking a look at B&Q, they are a good price and although not the best quality out there they are perfectly adequate for the job intended.
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Haws Heritage Watering Can
by Whizz11
My three year old little girl loves to garden and its really sweet watching her taking care of her plants and wanting to check on them and make sure they are growing properly. One of the things we bought her last year to do this was her own watering can so she could be in charge of watering her own plants that she has planted. ...
My husband found her this Haws heritage watering can from our local garden centre and she absolutely loves it. I think it partly has to do with the fact that it is pink but also because its the perfect size for her and so she can easily carry it and water with it.
The watering can is plastic and is really quite light so its easy for her to pick up and tip, even when it is full with water. The watering can has a classic watering can look to it. There is a handle on the side and also a handle at the top so you can hold it the traditional way, grab onto the handle on the side with one hand and then hold the top handle with your other hand so you can tip the spout up and pour.
The spout is quite long and reaches a little way out from the can which is good because when my little boy tries to water the garden he usually ends up trying to water his feet instead but with the longish spout it just misses him!! There is a removable nozzle on the end of the spout which has lots of holes in it which spreads out the water and enables you to water all around your plant and wet the surrounding ground rather than just targeting one specific area. This nozzle can also be moved to a smaller little spout closer to the container as well.
The watering can holds just 1 litre of water so this is never going to be a watering can that you can do your whole garden with. I end up having to fill this up quite a few times to do all of our beds but that is more bcause my little girl loves to water and wants to keep on doing it so if you are looking for a watering can that is going to be hard working this is probably not the one for you but in terms of a little one that children can use to help you in the garden and learn the joy of being outside and growing things then this is perfect.
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