Control a Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show with Twitter

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Ant Langston

Control a Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show with Twitter

We’re all huge fans of the Chelsea Flower Show here, and hopefully you are too. Every year there’s gardens that just make our jaws drop; whether it’s sheer beauty, due to arrangement and colours or whether it’s down to surprise and innovation – there’s always something. From initial reports it looks as if the 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be no different with some extremely inventive gardens on the horizon…

From first glances, this year’s show looks to improve upon last year’s with the addition of a special garden that will be controlled by social media. Yes, you read that correctly – a garden will be reacting, live at the show, based on the activity of Twitter users. Any tweet that features the hash tag #RHSchelsea will be tracked and used by software which electronically operates the garden.

If the term ‘Twitter’ and ‘hash tag’ have gone straight over your head, you might want to sit this one out. However, if you’re already integrated into the Twittersphere, we fully expect you to hash tag like there’s no tomorrow and a follow for us @GardenToolbox would be much appreciated (shameless self plug there)!

Digital Capabilities

The garden that will be integrated with Twitter activity has been dubbed ‘Digital Capabilities’ as an ode to what the digital age is capable of (or so we assume). The garden was both designed and created by a variety of students and staff members from the University of Lincoln. All team members were gathered from various departments including Computer Science, Architecture and even Psychology.

Digital Capabilities is said to feature a ‘Perspex panelled wall’ (pictured below) which will have separate segments/panels that can be opened or closed based upon the amount of activity on Twitter. The wall will divide the 20x10ft (6x3m) plot diagonally in order to make the most of the gardening space available.

CHELSEAWALL 3logosmall Control a Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show with Twitter

Picture courtesy of: http://lincolnschoolofarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/

This is apparently the first ever attempt of creating a garden for the Chelsea Flower Show and it has been spear-headed by Professor Shaun Lawson. He stated that he and the rest of the team were “inspired by a QR code garden” which was featured in the previous year and this had led them to work closely with a garden design company who could bring their ideas to life. One of the things Shaun really wanted to emphasise with this project was how the ‘physical’ and ‘digital’ world could be mixed to produce a remarkable, integrated combination of the two.

Upon completion of the show, the University will likely have Digital Capabilities on display in their grounds for all staff, current students and new students to view (and possibly operate).

For those who are interested in seeing this garden masterpiece operating close up, you can get tickets for the RBS Chelsea Flower Show by clicking here. The show runs from the 20th May until the 25th and will feature the Queen who is going to officially open this prestigious event.

Is this likely to be one of the most innovative gardens we’ve ever seen at the Chelsea Flower Show, or do you reckon there are better alternatives? Let us know your thoughts on Google Plus or Twitter which is linked above.

Words by Ant Langston

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Two Simple Strawberry Recipes to Make With Those Freshly Grown Garden Strawberries

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Thomas Mulrooney

As part of National Strawberry Month we’ve already told you how to grow strawberries in the garden, but what can you do with those juicy red berries once they’re picked and stored in your fridge? Fret not, my fellow strawberry lovers, as we’ve gathered a couple of our favourite recipes to tickle your taste buds this summer. These are really simple to make, so shouldn’t prove too daunting in the kitchen if you’re not someone who’s particularly good in that environment.

Chocolate Strawberries

chocolate strawberries Two Simple Strawberry Recipes to Make With Those Freshly Grown Garden Strawberries

If you’re not brilliant in the kitchen then this is one of the easiest recipes you can make, but thankfully it’s also one of the most delicious of the bunch.

Here’s what you need:

  • About 150-200g of chopped up chocolate
  • 1 punnet of fresh strawberries

From then on it’s a simple job:

  1. Chop up your chocolate and throw it into a microwaveable bowl or into the top of a double boiler pan with simmering water in the bottom pan. Cook until melted, stirring it occasionally to maintain smoothness.
  2. Now comes the fun part! Get your strawberries and hold them by the stem, dipping each one into the chocolate until it reaches three-quarters of the way to the stem. Place each one stem side down into a container and put it in the fridge until hardened.

You don’t just have to use milk chocolate; mix it up by using dark chocolate, white chocolate and even adding sprinkles of hundreds and thousands or drizzles of different types of chocolate. Mix ut up and be creative, because your tongue will thank you!

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

This is another recipe that’s easy enough to fashion, and it’s perfect for the family to enjoy after dinner.

What you need for 4 glasses or small bowls:

  • 85g of biscuit (it’s up to you what you use, oatmeal works great as does digestive)
  • 200g tub of soft cheese
  • 200g of yogurt (you can use flavoured yogurt if you wish, or opt for plain greek yogurt instead)
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • A few drops of vanilla extract
  • 100g strawberries
  • 2 tbsp of strawberry jam

Let’s get started!

  1. The first thing you need to do is crush up your biscuits, and the easiest way to do this is to put them all in a plastic bag and bash at it with a rolling pin. Once your once solid biscuits are no more than small chunky crumbs divide them equally between your bowls or glasses.
  2. Mix the soft cheese, yogurt, sugar and vanilla extract together until it’s a smooth mixture. Poor this equally over the biscuit crumbs you’ve already created. Put it in the fridge to chill.
  3. While the mixture is chilling get the jam and put it into a bowl, stirring until it’s smooth and loose. Cut up the strawberries and gently stir the halves into the jam. All you need to do then is add it to the glasses/bowls equally and then serve!

You can try mixing this up with different fruit of course, or even add other types of fruit in with the strawberries. Personally I find strawberries and banana work really well!

These are just two simple recipes that anyone should be able to get the hang of, and it’s a great way to ease yourself into creating delicious deserts in the kitchen.

Chocolate strawberries image by Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism on Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license. Words by Thomas Mulrooney

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How to Grow Strawberries in the Garden

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Thomas Mulrooney

This month is National Strawberry Month, so to celebrate we’ve put together a series of posts all about strawberries – you lucky devils! Today we’ll talk about growing your own strawberries and the hazards you’ll face, while later we’ll post some of our favourite recipes of things you can make with strawberries. Stay tuned to the blog for more!

In my opinion strawberries are one of the best fruits around, and probably one of the only strawberries 300x225 How to Grow Strawberries in the Gardenfruits I could eat constantly and not get bored of. They’re dripping in a delicious sweet red taste that tastes like a summer’s day party is being held in your mouth, and like a summer’s day party they go perfect with a glass of iced lemonade. Or you could just team them up with cream or ice cream, either way they still taste gorgeous!

You can go and buy them in your local supermarket, or you could learn how to grow your own as it’s actually pretty simple. Below is all the basic information you need to start growing your own strawberries and making sure you have a decent and tasty crop on a regular basis.

For sanity’s sake we’re dealing with June Bearing strawberries here. They produce a single large crop per year in a 2-3 week period in spring.

Planting

Strawberries are actually quite versatile and will grow in a wide range of different soil types, as long as the soil is well drained. Waterlogged soil will only cause the fruits to become diseased, ruining whatever crop you hoped to get from your strawberry plants. Planting should begin in late June, running through until September. You should also make sure that they’re planted in a place that will get full sun for around 8-10 hours a day but will also be sheltered from the wind. Due to this they are best planted in an area that has some bigger plants nearby that will act as a windbreaker.

Firstly you need to prepare the soil; digging it over, removing weeds and adding a fertiliser like manure. Also make sure that it’s not a site where raspberries, other strawberries, tomatoes, peppers etc. have grown before to avoid the onset of verticillium wilt (the stem will wilt and quickly kill the plant).

Place the strawberries with the crown at soil level in the soil every 35cm, keeping each row 75cm apart. Water well from the bottom of the plant to avoid rotting the crown and fruit. If you’re planting the strawberries outside of a greenhouse place a net over the plants so that birds and other animals won’t pick them clean.

Growing

Continue to water your strawberries frequently as the new plants are growing. If your areastrawberry plant 225x300 How to Grow Strawberries in the Garden is hit by a drought you will need to water the soil 6 or 8 inches deep once a week, otherwise keep the water level to 1-2 inches per week. Also continue to regularly hoe the areas between the rows and individual strawberry plants.

Your plants will start to gain leaves and flower buds soon after planting, and in your first year it’s best to cut all the flowers off. It’s important to remember that planting and growing strawberries is a long term investment and you will not gain any yield in your first year of planting. Subsequent years should be bountiful as the plant has fully established itself, although you’ll have to replace them after 3 years.

Placing straw, particularly barley straw, in the rows and under fruit trusses once the fruit begins to grow is also a good idea as it helps prevent the onset of weeds, regulates soil moisture and stops the fruit from simply lying on the soil and rotting. If any weeds to emerge then pull them out by hand, try to avoid using chemicals as much as possible.

If you find any dead leaves remove them, and carry out regular checks for bugs and pests that could eat the fruit. If any of your strawberry plants fail to grow properly you should remove them, as this can signify the onset of disease.

Harvesting

You can tell when strawberries are ready for picking by looking at their colour. If the strawberry is bright red all over then it is more than likely ready to pick, although different varieties of strawberries have different shades of red. You can also check by giving in the taste test, which will quickly tell you if your chosen strawberry is ready or not.

Be careful when harvesting and pick the strawberries gently as they are easy to bruise. Take care not to leave any ripe strawberries on the plant as they will quickly rot, so keep checking the plants regularly when they reach the ripening period.

Once picked refrigerate them immediately. When you want to eat them make sure to wash them thoroughly first. As noted above we’ll be giving you some recipes for things to make with your strawberries pretty soon, so watch this space.

Continuing Care

Once you’ve harvested all the strawberries remove all the straw mulch from around thestrawberry plants 225x300 How to Grow Strawberries in the Garden plants, which helps to prevent disease or the proliferation of pests. Cut all the old leaves off with hand shears (get a handy pair of hand shears here) while leaving the crown and any new leaves untouched. Continue to feed and water well too.

Strawberry plants send out runners over the surface of the soil during the growing season, by pegging these down during June or July you will encourage the runners to eventually form new strawberry plants.

Your strawberry plants should give you plenty of juicy strawberries for three years, after which the output and size of the strawberries will decline. You should also make sure to practice crop rotation to prevent the formation of disease or constant attack from various garden pests.

You can find out about more strawberry related holidays by clicking here.

Image credits: Versageek, Fried Dough and Sigusr0 on Flickr. Images are used under a Creative Commons license. Words by Thomas Mulrooney

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Buying the Best Lawn Mower

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Thomas Mulrooney

You’ve probably been there – or at least I have in any case – staring at a lawn that badly shutterstock 13666591 300x216 Buying the Best Lawn Mowerneeds cutting but you just haven’t had the chance or motivation to begin work. It can feel like a bit of a chore to get the lawn mower out sometimes, especially if it’s a lawn mower that’s not particularly easy to use. That rusty old bucket you call a lawn mower can not only make sure you tire yourself out when the lawn is only half done, but it can also be quite dangerous to use too. So, it’s time for a replacement, but with the many options out there which do you choose?

Unfortunately it’s not just a case of choosing the one you like the look of and happens to fit in your budget, there are various things you need to consider before you rush out to buy one. Firstly you need to know your lawn and what type of grass you’re going to be dealing with, we’ll talk about that when we go through the types of lawn mowers. You also need to take into consideration the size of your lawn. Push lawn mowers are fine for small lawns, but get to up to lawns that can go 200 sq m or above and you’re getting into petrol lawn mower territory. Basically, the bigger the lawn the more power you’re going to want to have in your hands.

The Types of Lawn Mowers

Lawn mowers basically boil down into three different types:

  • Cylinder
  • Rotary
  • Hover

I’ll go through each of their advantages and disadvantages.

Cylinder lawn mowers

Many push-powered lawn mowers use the cylinder blade configuration, although you can qualcast elan 32 400w 240v electric 00102968L 300x300 Buying the Best Lawn Mowerget electric and petrol-powered models too. It consists of a fixed blade, with several moving blades rotating vertically against it – think of it as a giant pair of scissors! They’re ideal for a close cut on neat, flat frequently mowed lawns but will have trouble coping on rougher, infrequently cut and bumpy lawns.

Rotary lawn mowers

These are the most popular type of lawn mower, simply because they’re versatile and can cope with a wide range of lawn types. The blade is similar to that of a scythe moving at a fast rate, effortlessly slicing through longer blades of grass and the roughage/weeds you get when you haven’t touched your lawn for a while. The grass is collected into a collection box, although if you’d rather leave the clippings on the lawn you can simply take it off or get a mulching model that cuts the grass into tiny pieces to help fertilise the lawn. Again, there are push-powered, electric and petrol versions too.

Hover lawn mowers

Hover mowers are generally much quieter than other models, meaning you can mow your lawn at 7am on a Sunday morning if you wish to. They work by quite literally hovering flymo 330vx easi glide electric hover 00103709L 300x300 Buying the Best Lawn Mowerover your lawn, which is down to resting on a cushion of air rather than some futuristic anti-gravity technology (we can only dream!). They’re similar to rotary lawn mowers but don’t give as good as a cut, being more suited for simply keeping lawns neat and tidy. The hovering of the mower means it’s quick and easy to use, also making them a great aid to getting at those tricky to reach spots that conventional mowers might have a hard time getting to. Perfect for small to medium gardens!

 

Power

As mentioned earlier whatever powers your lawn mower can make your job easier or harder, but that obviously also depends on what type of lawn you’re dealing with. Once you’ve worked out what type of mower is suited to your lawn you can also think along the same lines to decide how much power you’re going to need to put into cutting it.

Electric lawn mowers

Probably the most common type of lawn mower, electric lawn mowers are normally the mower of choice for most families because they’re clean, light and easy to maintain. These are ideal for small or medium lawns, but you need to make sure that you are relatively close to a power source. You also need to be much more careful using an electric lawn mower as you need to constantly watch where the cable is so you don’t accidentally run over it. I find the best way is to keep the cable in your hand while pushing so you can make sure you pull it out of the way if it ends up looping around into the path of the mower. If you don’t want the hassle of a cable then cordless versions are available, which need to be charged up before use.

A few other key points to remember is to never mow the lawn when it’s wet, and always install an RCD adapter when using one (test it first). Electric rotary mowers start out about £55, with cylinder models going up to around £100. Hover mowers are even cheaper at around £40. You can have a look at some more examples for sale by following this link.

Petrol lawn mowers

Petrol lawn mowers are noisy, require regular maintenance and also come with the mcculloch m40125 petrol lawn mower 40cm 00150440L 300x300 Buying the Best Lawn Mowerproblem of buying and storing the petrol it’s going to use. However, for sheer power alone a petrol lawn mower is the best option when you’re faced with a rough and horribly overgrown lawn. You’ll pay more for a petrol model though, starting at around £87 without including the cost for the petrol. Take a look at a range of petrol lawn mowers by clicking here.

Push lawn mowers

The added benefit of a push lawn mower is no cables or petrol to worry about, although they can take quite a bit of effort to push. If you only have a small garden or only want to tackle a small area then a push lawn mower is your friend, and you can mow at your own speed. Sloped gardens will present a problem though, and elderly people may have trouble using one (although my 85 year-old neighbour managed it well enough!). They’re great for a work out though, and can be found by clicking here.

If none of these take your fancy you could always buy a goat, they’re excellent at eating away at all that excess grass (although they’ll probably end up chomping on your plants too!).

goat 199x300 Buying the Best Lawn Mower

“Beeeehhhh!”

Or is it “Meeeeeeeeeeh!”? At least he has a nice beard.

Goat image courtesy of Pete Markham on Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license.

Words by Thomas Mulrooney

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Today’s price drops – 8 May 2013

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Garden Toolbox

Silverline 793747 6lb Log Splitting Maul

Now only £12.30 (was £32.33)

silverline 793747 6lb log splitting maul 00061257M Todays price drops 8 May 2013

Silverline 793747 6lb Log Splitting Maul

Silverline 244967 Hickory Felling Axe

Now only £10.19 (was £25.74)

silverline 244967 hickory felling axe 00084785M Todays price drops 8 May 2013

Silverline 244967 Hickory Felling Axe

Silverline 793813 Plastic Saw Horse Pair – 100kg

Now only £13.18 (was £32.94)

silverline 793813 plastic saw horse 00069548M Todays price drops 8 May 2013

Silverline 793813 Plastic Saw Horse Pair – 100kg

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This week’s top sellers – 4 May 2013

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Garden Toolbox

1

Elho Brussels Diamond Square Indoor Plant Pot 22cm Bronze

 elho brussels diamond square indoor 00132429T This weeks top sellers 4 May 2013

2

Elho Green Basics Balcony Pot Holder Set – White

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3

Sankey Drainage Dome 20cm (8Inch) terracotta

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4

Kingfisher 24 inch Trough with Liner

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5

Bulldog Pedigree Dutch Hoe

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6

Kingfisher Bag of Wild Bird Feed – 0.9kg (BFWF01)

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7

Elho Milano Diamond Easy Insert 25cm

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8

Kingfisher 1m Raised Bed

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9

Silverline GT36 Swan Neck Shovel – 130cm

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10

Draper 25614 Expert Stainless Steel Soft Grip Draw Hoe

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How to Grow Herbs

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Scott Morris

This video will teach you how to grow the perfect herb garden keeping you with fresh herbs all year round !

As they say there is nothing more satisfying than picking fresh herbs from your garden and using them in a home cooked recipe.

Uploaded by Scott Morris

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Today’s price drops – 1 May 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Garden Toolbox

La Hacienda Wall Mounted Patio Heater Quartz

Now only £39.99 (was £89.60)

la hacienda wall mounted patio heater 00500621M Todays price drops 1 May 2013

La Hacienda Wall Mounted Patio Heater Quartz

Stanley Junior Saw Horse Twin Pack 1-92-038

Now only £21.97 (was £47.62)

stanley junior saw horse twin pack 00077307M Todays price drops 1 May 2013

Stanley Junior Saw Horse Twin Pack 1-92-038

Wilkinson Sword Stainless Steel Border Fork

Now only £19.98 (was £39.34)

wilkinson sword stainless steel border 00133960M Todays price drops 1 May 2013

Wilkinson Sword Stainless Steel Border Fork

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This month’s most interesting new products – May 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Garden Toolbox

Big Joe Ceramic Charcoal Grill Black BJ24B

big joe ceramic charcoal grill black 00500816S This months most interesting new products May 2013

Big Joe Ceramic Charcoal Grill Black BJ24B

Big Joe Ceramic Charcoal Gril Red BJ24R

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Big Joe Ceramic Charcoal Gril Red BJ24R

Fornetto Wood Fired Oven Red GLPZ5EUR

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Fornetto Wood Fired Oven Red GLPZ5EUR

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Why Buying a Garden Shredder Is a Worthwhile Investment

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Thomas Mulrooney

Garden shredders are one piece of kit that is regularly debated in the gardening world; people love the soil fertilising mulch that one creates but it’s also constantly prompting questions about whether you should buy a garden shredder or simple rent one. Now obviously there are pros and cons to each, which I’m about to get into, but to sum up this article for those that don’t have time to read on I’ll tell you what the camp I roll with. You should buy a garden shredder as they’re a great investment. Want to read on? Here’s why.

For garden shredders you can expect to pay at least £100, although you may be able to get one for a few quid cheaper. The more expensive they get the more powerful they tend to get too, and the more unlikely it is that it’s going to get blocked all the time. On the other hand you could rent one, which may cost you around £30 or so for a weekend’s worth of shredding. This is fine if you’re only using the garden shredder once, but for the regular gardening who likes to trim shrubs and branches 2 or 3 times a year it may be worth it to invest in your own instead. Just think about it, 3 times renting a year for 5 years is going to cost you quite a bit more than just renting one outright, plus when you buy one you’re in control of when you can use it and you don’t have to run into the problem of a shop being all out of rentals when you really need to clear your garden up that weekend.

Most gardeners will also know why you should be using one in the first place, and that’s because of the lovely mulch that using one generates. Churning all your garden waste up, such as loose twigs and branches, in a shredder means you’re actually recycling what nature provides and not just chucking it away. The mulch can be spread around your garden and helps improved soil quality by supplying it with much needed nutrients, leading to better plants in the long run. As an added bonus it also helps suppress the growth of nasty weeds, so at the end of the day you’re saving more money by not having to buy fertiliser and weed killer.

NOTE: Before you buy you also need to be aware about safety. Using a garden shredder is quite safe provided you know how to use it properly and you wear adequate safety gear. Get hold of goggles, gloves and suitable clothing so you don’t get scratched before you even plug your new garden shredder in. Also, make sure you never put in anything that is obvious the blades won’t cut. Not only is it for safeties sake, but you could also damage the shredder. Finally, don’t put any wet waste into an electric shredder, for obvious reasons.

So, what garden shredder should I buy?

You can expect to pay around £100 for a decent high quality garden shredder that’s going to do the job efficiently and won’t end up breaking down on you before you’ve even thrown half of your garden waste in there. There are a number of brands that put out garden shredders; such as the esteemed Bosch, Black & Decker and Flymo. Generally, you can handy impact garden shredder 2400w 00121132L 300x300 Why Buying a Garden Shredder Is a Worthwhile Investmentexpect to pay a little more for well-known branded products but you’ll definitely be getting a worthwhile deal from it.

At the lower end of the scale we have the Handy Impact Garden Shredder, which you can get for around £96 excluding any delivery charges. It’s portable, meaning you can easily wheel it around the garden to have it where you need; saving you the effort of carrying bundles of things, all the while dropping half of it on the garden lawn. The downside is the 3m cable means you may not be able to take it as far as you want, but that can be overridden by using an extension cable. It also has a powerful 2400 watt motor and will shred solid branches up to 40mm in diameter in a fast rotary shredding action, and there’s enough space in the debris bag to fit 50L of waste. It doesn’t have any of the fancy features that the more expensive models have, but this is a great bay if you’re simply after a simple basic garden shredder.

At the other end of the scale you’ve got the Bosch AXT 23 TC Turbine Cutting 3 in 1 Garden Shredder bosch axt 23 tc turbine cutting 3 in 1 00102941L 300x300 Why Buying a Garden Shredder Is a Worthwhile Investment. This is obviously quite a bit more expensive – at around £336 – but it’s a powerful beast that is designed to shred large trees, hard branches, shrubs and other green material. It cuts up your waste incredibly fast with a turbine system that will significantly reduce the chance of blocking, but if there does happen to be a block it is equipped with an easy unblocking system (you can see that system in action here). You’re not getting any more space for you waste though, as it also fits 50L in the collection box. Still, if you’re after a shredder that’s going to handle thicker waste without much trouble and not make you end up having to unblock it all the time then it’s well worth the investment.

If you have a lot of money to burn then you could pump for the Makita GSP5500 Petrol Garden Shredder. At nearly £1,100 this is more for the buyer who is in the gardening business, not to mention the cost of having to fill it up with petrol too. However, for that price you get a hell of a lot of brute force; shredding 50mm branches with a 9 blade cutting system, each blade being individually detachable for sharpening. It’s safe to say that you’ll have your garden cleaned up in no time with this beast.

GardenToolBox have also recently lowered prices on their range of garden shredders, making it the perfect time to pick one up today.

Words by Thomas Mulrooney

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