Whether you want to plant and grow flowers, herbs or vegetables, there are so many benefits to growing from seed, highlights the gardening team at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa.

Apart from the satisfaction and therapeutic feeling you get from watching them grow, there are many factors to consider when growing from seeds, such as, they are cheaper to buy and are organic.

When buying from seed, make sure you read the instructions and pay attention to the requirements, knowing how much light, water and soil requirements the newbie needs to germinate.

Check whether your seeds prefer to be sown directly in your garden soil or whether they prefer to grow in small containers before being transplanted once they are stronger. This depends hugely on what you are sowing as some need more love and care than others.

If planting in a small container first, you need to make small holes at the bottom of the growing trays and add some compost to start them off. Sow the seed to a depth of 2 to 3 times the size of the seed. Firm the soil around the seed and once germinated transplant into the soil.

Have a good source of heat, light and water to give them all a good start when growing. A great tip to regulate the soil is to cover them with plastic sheeting to keep the moisture in and not dry out.

Remember to water in the early mornings or late afternoons, especially on hot days.

In conclusion, and the team at Granny Mouse can vouch for this, nurturing a plant from a tiny seed to a beautiful garden of blooms, or a table full of fresh produce, provides immense satisfaction and the benefits of growing from seed extends beyond the sense of achievement. You also get to control what is in your food, i.e. no pesticides, making it healthier for you and your environment.

References from https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/guide-germinating-seeds

Who would have guessed that items in your kitchen could get your garden flourishing? The team at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa have a few tips that will astound and amaze you, with items that you use and consume daily helping you reap the rewards for you and your garden.

If you have leftover ground coffee, attracting earthworms has never been so easy. Sprinkling this onto your soil will help make your soil healthy and more fertile. It also helps to make your tomatoes sweeter and it is also effective as plant boosters, due to the calcium, potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus content.

Due to its alkalinity, which flowers thrive on, baking soda is also a great for your garden. It also helps with fungal growth on plants – it doesn’t kill the fungus, but creates an environment hostile to fungal growth. Stir a teaspoon of baking soda into a liter of water and spray the leaves of your fungus-prone plants (these include tomatoes and lilacs). Another secret – it takes the funky smell out of your shoes.

Vinegar is a non-toxic solution for killing algae and is safe for plants. Simply mix three parts water and one part vinegar, and spray. This helps to remove unsightly green growth and it is also effective in killing mould, weeds and other fungi. Vinegar is acidic and achieves the same results as chlorine without the negative side effects.

Chop up banana peels and bury them in the soil when you plant tomatoes, rosebushes, or green pepper plants. The phosphorous content in the peels will enrich the soil and strengthen your plants.

Tea can also do wonders to improve the vibrancy of your plants. If you already have a compost pile, there’s a benefit to taking the time to brew it into a liquid solution bursting with beneficial micro-organisms. Office plants that get a dose of tea seem to relish too but remember don’t add sugar and milk to the mix.

Soda water can be more nutritious to plants than plain tap water because it contains carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulphur, and sodium, all of which are beneficial for plants. There was research done in Colorado, and in ten days the plants dosed with soda water outgrew the control plants – but here’s the trick, let the fizzy water go flat before pouring.

Another favourite kitchen item of the culinary artists at Granny Mouse to share with the garden are egg shells, due to their rich calcium content. They agree that these should be tossed in the garden and not the rubbish bin. Rinse them, crush them, and add them to plants like tomatoes that are often plagued by calcium deficiency. Or, start seedlings in eggshells that have been carefully halved and rinsed. When the seedlings are big enough to be transplanted, plant them right in the ground, shell and all; the shell will bio-degrade over time.

Beautiful, healthy plants can be all yours, quicker than you think with some tested tips and tricks.