2021 - Page 7 of 9 - Garden and Allotment Tips and Advice

What Sunflowers We Are Growing This Year?

November 10, 2024February 9, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

What Sunflowers We Are Growing This Year?

Last year was the first year that we grew flowers on our allotment plot. It was a hard choice to decide which flowers to try and grow in my allotment. Not having any knowledge on growing flowers from seed it was all new to me. Yes, I maybe Gardening With Ben but I don’t have the knowledge on flower growing!. Hopefully over the next few years as I do more and more research on flower growing I will be able to find out more and give tips and advice on this.

Well, last year I tried growing Sunflowers. I had grown these as a child before and had great fun growing them in the past so I thought I would give it another go on my plot. I chose to grow Giant Sunflowers, these seeds are extremely cheap to purchase costing anything between £1-£2 usually getting around 80 seeds per pack.

I started these off around April in my unheated greenhouse and lots of them germinated. Once these were big enough to move outside these were planted into the ground outside. I lost a few of these to the slugs as they seem to be very tasty to them. So this year I will try and protect them better from the slugs and snails. I will be looking for some slug traps that can easily catch them. The last year was the first year I stayed totally away from slug pellets. I will hopefully be doing some more information on the best ways to stop the slugs so watch this space.

The sunflowers that did actually take and grow well did absolutely amazing. I think I had around 10 that actually grew. I had a few at the front of my plot as a kind of welcoming flower then I had a few down each side of my plot. There was one in particular that did extremely well the head on the sunflower was massive which you will be able to see from the picture below.

I did save the sunflower heads from the plants that grew but unfortunately, the rats found them and destroyed them. Next time I think I will need to hang them up instead.

Sunflowers are great to grow with the children and as adults, you can see how tall you can actually grow them.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

What Sunflowers I’m growing this year

So that brings us on to what sunflowers I’m growing this year. With them growing so well last year I have been looking more into sunflowers. There are many different colour sunflowers, heights and varieties to try growing so here are the varieties I’m growing, I have also provided the links to where I’ve purchased them from so you can try and grow them along with me.

Giant Sunflower

This year I will be growing the giant sunflower again! With the amazing success of growing it last year and knowing it grows well in my soil, it will be perfect. These can grow up to 3 meters tall and include 100 seeds.

You can find these by clicking on the link below:-

80 Red Sunflower Seeds Plus 100 Giant Yellow Seeds Flower Seeds by Pretty Wild Seeds

This pack of sunflowers includes 80 red sunflowers and 100 giant sunflowers. I’ve never seen red sunflowers before so fingers crossed these will be great to see on the plot. Yes I know these have more giant sunflowers in them but I can always save them for if the others do not grow.

You can find these by clicking the link below:-

Sunflower – Autumn Beauty – 160 Finest Seeds

These Autumn Beauty Sunflowers look absolutely amazing. I’ve never seen any that look as beautiful. The shades and colours in these are amazing. I just hope they are actually like what they are on the packet.

You can find these by clicking the link below:-

Sunflower Seeds for Planting-Autumn Beauty- Outdoor Mixture Bulk 20+

Well this pack looks amazing over 20 different variety of sunflowers to grow. I did not even know that there was that many. I will look forward to receiving this package. I don’t know if they are all individually packaged. Fingers crossed that they are. Most probably the separate packets will be in thse but I don’t think there will be many of each variety so we will have to wait and see.

You can get these seeds from the link below:-

Sunflower Black Magic F1, Dark Red

Last but not least of these dark red sunflowers. These will look greatly mixed in with the giant sunflowers. The mixture of yellow and reds will go great together. Apparently, these grow to around 120cm so a lot shorter than the giant ones.

These can be purchased from the link below

So you can see I’ve ordered absolutely loads of seeds for the allotment. You will probably be thinking where will Ben grow them all? Well, I’m thinking the same question haha. I will probably plant a few of each and save some for next year. These will be planted all the way down each side of my plot so fingers crossed they will look stunning. You will have to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay tuned on how they grow.

Can You Freeze Shallots

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Shallots

Have you grown too many Shallots in the garden or allotment? Have you purchased too many Shallots when you have seen a special offer? Carrots do not last long once they have been picked or bought from the shop so the question a lot of people ask is can you freeze Shallots to use at a later date? The answer to the question is yes you can freeze Shallots. Here we will provide you with the step by step process on how to freeze Shallots for a later date.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to freeze Shallots

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to Shallots your carrots so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Wash and peel the shallots
Slice the shallots into pieces
Placed the sliced shallots in a freezer bag with the date on.
Place the bag of shallots in the freezer until needed
The shallots can be frozen for up to 3-6 months. They will however loose some of there flavour.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze Shallots?” Now you won’t be wasting any Shallots by throwing them away. Safely freeze your Shallotsuntil needed.

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Can You Freeze Garlic

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Garlic

If you are like me you will be growing a lot of garlic. It can be quite expensive to purchase and if you use it a lot it is worth trying to grow your own garlic. The thing is it will all be ready to pick at the same time. Garlic does store quite well and can be kept for a while. The question you may ask is can you freeze garlic? Here we look at how to freeze garlic that you have grown or purchased.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to Freeze Garlic

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your Garlic so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Wash the dirt off the garlic if you have grown your own.
Break the galic bulb in to cloves and peel
Chop the garlic into pieces.
Place the garlic pieces in a zip lock freezer bag with the date on
Place the bag of garlic in the freezer.
Store the garlic in the freezer for upto 6 months
Remove the garlic as and when needed.

It is better to freeze the garlic in pieces rather than as a bulb as they can go mushy when thawed.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze Garlic?” Now you won’t be wasting any Garlic by throwing them away. Safely freeze your Garlic until needed.

plate of raw onions placed on wooden board with potatoes and chopped mushrooms

Can You Freeze Onions

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Onions

Have you grown too many onions on the allotment or in the garden. Have you purchased too many onions. Onions do store well but can take up quite a bit of space with them being round. You maybe asking the question can you freeze onions? Here we have an easy step by step process on how you can freeze your grown and bought onions for a later date.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to freeze onions

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your onions so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Peel the skin off the onions.
Chop and slice the onions to the size that you require.
Get a baking tray with a piece of baking paper on.
Spread the chopped onion on the baking tray.
Place the chopped onion in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
Once the onions have frozen take them out and place them into a zip lock bag with the date on.
Place the frozen onions back in the freezer until required.
The onions can be stored in the freezer from 6-8 months for optimal taste.
Remove the bag of frozen onions as and when required

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze onions?” Now you won’t be wasting any onions by throwing them away. Safely freeze your onions until needed.

Can You Freeze Chilli Peppers

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Chilli Peppers

Growing chilli peppers can be great as you can reap the rewards they can produce lots and lots. If you have a few plants you will probably be inundated from the number of chillies you have. Friends and family will have enough as well as you! You will be using them in every recipe and still have lots left. You are probably asking the question can you freeze chilli peppers?

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to freeze chilli peppers

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your carrots so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Wash your chillies thoroughly.
If you are using hot chilli peppers make sure you are wearing gloves and don’t touch your face or eyes.
Slice the chillies in half removing the seeds and stalk
Place the chillies on a baking tray with greaseproof paper on it.
Make sure they are evenly spread apart and not touching.
Freeze the chillies for around 2-3 hours until frozen solid.
Place the frozen chillies in a zip lock bag with the date on it.
Store the chillies in the freezer until you require them. They can be stored for up to 8 months
When you require your chillies just remove a few from the freezer as and when required.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze chilli peppers?” Now you won’t be wasting any chilli peppers by throwing them away. Safely freeze your chilli peppers until needed.

Can You Freeze Peppers

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Peppers

Have you purchased too many peppers or grown too many to handle? Not got the space to store your peppers? Are you thinking can you freeze peppers? Here we look at how to freeze peppers for a later date so that you do not waste them.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to freeze peppers

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your peppers so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Wash your peppers thoroughly.
If you are you are using normal sweet peppers you won’t need gloves but if you are using hot peppers make sure you do and that you don’t touch anything on your body.
Slice the peppers in half.
Remove the seeds and the core
Finish slicing the peppers into the size you want them.
Get a baking tray with some baking paper on.
Space the peppers out on the tray so they are not touching one another.
Stick them in the freezer for around 2-3 hours.
Once the peppers have frozen solid you can remove them
Place the peppers in a Zip lock bag with the date on.
You can then place the bag of peppers in the freezer until you require your frozen peppers
The frozen peppers can be stored for up to 8 months.
Remove the peppers when you require them.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze peppers?” Now you won’t be wasting any peppers by throwing them away. Safely freeze your peppers until needed.

10 Best Container Growing Books

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Best Container Growing Books

Have you not got the space to be growing your own vegetables in the ground or do not have access to an allotment or a plot of land. Have you ever thought of growing your vegetables and flowers in pots and tubs? Container growing can be done literally anywhere. You could even grow container vegetables on flat balconies. Here we look at the best container growing books.

Book Gardeners’ World – 101 Ideas for Pots: Foolproof recipes for year-round colour (Gardeners’ World Magazine)

About the book:-

You do not need a garden for enjoying flowers, herbs and vegetables you can literally grow them anywhere in containers, window boxes. This book is written by Gardeners World which host a fantastic TV Show. They will give you step by step guides on a monthly basis how to make the most of growing in containers at home and the allotment. What plants will you grow in containers?

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 68% from over 120 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Grow Your Own Vegetables in Pots and Containers: A practical guide to growing food in small spaces

About the book:-

This grow your own book focuses on what to grow in small spaces. A lot of people do not have the space to have a garden so will look at alternative measures of growing there own produce and plants. Here they give you tips for growing in containers, pots, even milk cartons.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 66% from over 240 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book RHS Grow Your Own Crops in Pots: with 30 Step-by-Step Projects Using Vegetables, Fruit and Herbs (Royal Horticultural Society Grow Your Own)

About the book:-

This book is written by the RHS. They are experts in the gardening world. Sharing there welth of tips and knowledge with everyone. This book has 30 step by step projects for growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs at home or the allotment in pots and containers. You will be able to make the most of every bit of space in the yard to make the perfect container garden.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 69% from over 400 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Container Vegetable Gardening: Growing Crops in Pots in Every Space (CompanionHouse Books) Directions for 34 Plants like Tomatoes, Strawberries, Corn, Squash, Beans, Greens, Herbs, Garlic, and More

About the book:-

This book covers 34 types of fruit, vegetables, herbs. Whether you have a balcony, a concrete yard, no garden this book will help you make the most of every bit available to grow things in containers at home or at the allotment and create your own kitchen garden to enjoy the benefits of organic container gardening.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 71% from over 20 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Crops in Tight Spots

About the book:-

Do you have little outdoor space, no garden? Well this is the book for you giving you advice and information to growing your own container garden and making the most of every tight spot outside. It could always be on a balcony in an apartment. Crops in Tight Spots guarantees vegetable growing success for even the most newbie of gardeners and limited of spaces.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 71% from over 90 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible, The: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers

About the book:-

This is best-selling author Ed Smith’s complete guide to growing a bounty of vegetables in small spaces and without land. This is a completely updated and expanded edition of “Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers”, now including conventional containers of all sizes, from window boxes to tubs. “The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible” provides information on growing everyone’s favourite vegetables in all kinds of containers.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 79% from over 600 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Vegetables Gardening in Containers: How to successfully grow healthy organic vegetables, fruits & herbs in raised beds, pots and small urban spaces for a thriving homemade garden in patios & balconies

About the book:-

Container gardening is becoming more and more popular as more people get into learning how to grow there own vegetables, herbs and fruit at home for those who do not have the space to grow in the ground. There are many things that can be grown in containers and it may surprise you. If you are looking at growing in containers check out this book for some great tips and advice.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 55% from over 20 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Grow All You Can Eat In Three Square Feet: Inventive Ideas for Growing Food in a Small Space

About the book:-

Have you only a small amount of space to grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs? In this book it looks at just using a small patch and managing to grow a great crop from just that space available. Make the most of every spot of ground with this amazing book.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 77% from over 400 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book RHS Little Book of Small-Space Gardening: Easy-grow Ideas for Balconies, Window Boxes & Other Outdoor Areas

About the book:-

This is another book written by the RHS. This book is focused on those who have a small amount of space to grow in whether it be a balcony or it could be a small yard. You may have ran out of space at the allotment? Here in this book it gives you all the tips and advice to make the most of the space you have.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 73% from over 90 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Book Container Gardening: 250 Design Ideas and Step-by-step

About the book:-

If you are wanting a lot of ideas to get you started in the container gardening world well this book will be the book you are looking for. It has over 250 ideas to try out. Make your gardens, balconies flourish with colour by trying out these container garden ideas.

Purchase the book:-

Here you can see the price the book is currently on sale for at Amazon. Click the link below where you can purchase the book safely and securely through Amazon

Reviews of the book:-

This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 76% from over 110 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-

Click to purchase the book from Amazon

Can You Freeze Sweetcorn

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Sweetcorn

There is nothing tastier than growing your own sweetcorn, you will not taste anything better and that is a promise! The only thing is with growing your own sweetcorn is that they will all be ready at the same time. Not wanting to waste any of your sweetcorn cobs you may be asking can you freeze sweetcorn? Here we will look at the best process to freezing your sweetcorn to save for a later date.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to freeze Sweetcorn

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your Sweetcorn corn on the cob so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Remove the leaves and the silks from the Sweetcorn and wash.
Place the Sweetcorn cobs in a pan of boiling water and boil for 3-4 minutes
Have a bowl of ice water ready.
Place the Sweetcorn cobs in the ice water for as long as you cooked them
Take them out and dry them
Place the Sweetcorn cobs on a baking tray with baking paper on
Place the tray of Sweetcorn in the freezer for around 3-4 hours until frozen
Take the Sweetcorn out of the freezer and place it in a ziplock bag with a date on it.
Place the sweetcorn back in the freezer until needed.
The Sweetcorn will last for around 8 months.
When you need the Sweetcorn take it out and finish cooking.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze Sweetcorn?” Now you won’t be wasting any Sweetcorn by throwing them away. Safely freeze your Sweetcorn until needed.

Can You Freeze Aubergine

February 27, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Eggplant

Have you purchased too many Eggplant / Aubergine or grown too many in the garden and the allotment? Have your friends and family had enough of you giving them all your Eggplants? You may be looking at every recipe available to use your aubergines up. You may be asking the question can you freeze Eggplant? Here we look at the process needed to freeze your aubergine for a later date so that none of them goes to waste.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to Freeze Eggplant

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your Eggplant so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Wash and peel your Eggplant
Slice your Eggplant up into pieces
Have a pan of boiling water ready
Carefully place the Eggplant slices into the pan of boiling water.
Blanche your Eggplant for around 3-4 minutes you don’t want it fully cooked.
Have a bowl of ice water ready.
Once you have blanched your Eggplant drain it and place it into the bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process.
Have a baking tray with baking paper on ready.
Place the Eggplant slices on the baking paper so they are not touching.
Place the tray of Eggplant into the freezer and freeze for around 3 hours until frozen solid.
Once the Eggplant is frozen take it out and place it in a Zip lock bag with the date on.
Place the bag of Eggplant in the freezer until you need it.
The frozen Eggplant will last for around 3-6 months.
When you are ready to use the Eggplant take it out and finish cooking it.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze Eggplant?” Now you won’t be wasting any Eggplant by throwing them away. Safely freeze your Eggplant until needed.

Can You Freeze Winter Squash

November 10, 2024January 4, 2021 by Gardening With Ben

Can You Freeze Winter Squash

Have you grown too many winter squash in the garden and allotment? Are you inundated by how many squashes you have in the house? The thing is with winter squash they do not store for long. You will be looking at every recipe you can find to use up your winter squash. You may even be asking the question can you freeze winter squash? Here we will be explaining the process on freezing winter squash to be used at a later date.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

How to freeze winter squash

Here we will give you an easy step by step process on how to freeze your winter squash so that you can use them at a later date and not waste any food.

Wash your winter squash thoroughly, this will need to be done if you have grown it or purchased it.
Slice the winter squash in half and remove all the seeds and bits you don’t need
Chop the winter squash into chunks
Have a pan of water boiling ready.
Carefully put the winter squash into the pan of boiling water
Blanche the winter squash for around 3-4 minutes – you don’t want it fully cooked.
Have a bowl of ice water ready
Once the winter squash has been blanched drain them and put them straight into the ice water.
Leave the winter squash in the ice water for as long as you blanched them for.
Have a baking tray with baking paper on ready
Place the winter squash on the baking paper so they are not touching.
Put the tray of winter squash in the freezer for around 3 hours until frozen solid.
Take the winter squash out of the freezer and place the pieces into a zip lock bag with the date on.
Place the zip lock bag back in the freezer until needed. They will store for around 3-6 months.
When you are ready to use the frozen winter squash you can take out and finish cooking.

We hope you have got the answer to the question “Can you freeze winter squash?” Now you won’t be wasting any winter squash by throwing them away. Safely freeze your winter squash until needed.