Jane’s gardening hacks!

Our Plant Advisor Jane is a seasoned pro so we asked her to put together some gardening hacks to help all the budding gardeners out there.

Soak seeds in warm water 24 hours before sowing

Soaking large hard seeds helps break down their outer coating, this especially applies to Sweet Peas. Small seeds do not need soaking.

Use coffee grounds to keep pests far away from your precious plants

Coffee grounds have several uses – they deter slugs, acidify the soil making them good for rhododendrons and camellias.

They can also change the colour of hydrangea if applied often and heavily – Hydrangeas are blue if planted in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil.

Make your own plant feed!

Comfrey feed is easy to make at home, plant comfrey in a spare corner of the garden and its long tap root will ‘mine’ for minerals deep in the soil. Cut the lower leaves, steep in water then dilute 1-10 with water and use on flowering plants and tomatoes. It will be smelly though!

How to get rid of slugs…

Slugs can be deterred by using crushed eggshells around the bottom of precious plants, they don’t like the sharp edges. Copper strips can be used, they give off a small electrical charge which sends them packing! Or go out in your nightie at night and pick them up and dispose in the bin.

Beer can also help catch slugs as they are attracted to it. So sink a margarine tub into the ground and add cheap beer to it about a third full. They’ll die happy! But leave about an inch above ground so that beneficial beetles don’t fall in.

Helpful tricks for helping cut flowers stay fresher longer

Vodka inhibits bacteria growth so a few drops would help to keep the water clean for cut flowers. Add a teaspoon of sugar too. Pennies will work in the same way as the copper works as an acidifier and inhibits bacteria that way. Again add a little sugar too.

Make your own compost

Compost is easy to make, just make a three sided bin out of three pallets on edge and fill with garden waste, making sure any soft sappy greens like grass clippings are mixed with plenty of woodier waste, or straw. This ensures that plenty of oxygen is available to bacteria, which prevents the heap from being smelly and slimy. Cover with old carpet or similar and leave to rot down, turning the heap regularly will again help introduce oxygen and mix everything more evenly.