David Domoney

Category: Blog

Blogs, guides, and gardening ideas from TV Gardener and Chartered Horticulturalist David Domoney.

  • How to: plant a perfect hanging basket every time

    How to: plant a perfect hanging basket every time

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    hanging-baskets-wire-with-moss

    Hanging baskets are great fun and give you loads of colour and pleasure all summer. They are great for bringing flowers to walls, porches, windows and doorways. They have a reputation for being high maintenance, but I’ll show you some simple tricks to get luscious blooms for months on end!

    Choose your basket

    There are two main types of basket: containers, which are any solid sided tub, and the traditional wired basket.

    The secret is to get the biggest possible basket or container. The bigger it is, the more soil it will hold, meaning more moisture and more nutrients. Moisture is key during the summertime to make sure your plants don’t dry out.

    Preparation – containers

    hanging-basket-plastic-with-petunias

    The most important thing is to check for drainage. If water can’t drain away, the soil will become waterlogged andyour plants will die.

    Some containers, such as wicker ones, come pre-lined with plastic. Make sure you punch a few holes in the bottom of the lining so the water can drain out.

    Plastic tubs usually have drainage holes drilled in the bottom, but it’s worth putting crocs in there too. This means a layer of gravel or broken pottery to stop compost blocking up the drainage holes.

    Preparation – wired

    This type of basket is usually wire mesh with a moss lining. Rounded baskets tend to roll about when you’re trying to line and plant them, so balance it in the top of a bucket or plant pot to keep it still.

    Line the bottom of the basket with the moss, bringing it about halfway up the sides. If you leave a gap, you can push some plants and flowers through the metal above the moss, making your basket look fuller.

    Now line that with newspaper. This stops compost falling through any gaps in the moss, plus it rots down nicely, adding extra nutrients to the soil.

    Filling

    hanging-baskets-with-primroses

    It’s best to buy hanging container compost to fill your baskets. It’s more expensive, but you’ll save money in the long run because your plants will last longer.

    First, it contains a wetting agent, which means you can water it when it’s very dry without doing any damage. Secondly, it contains extra nutrients to feed your plants as they grow

    Add compost to your basket until it’s about three-quarters full. Don’t over-fill it –  leave space for your plants’ root balls.

    When the basket is finished, there should be a 2cm gap between the top of the basket and the compost level. If it is too full, water will run off the surface and down the sides rather than soaking in when you water your baskets.

    Hydration

    hanging-basket-with-flowers-how-to-plant-a-hanging-basket

    If you want to be clever, help your plants even more by adding failsafe moisture. You can use hydration crystals to the compost, which are little jelly crystals that store moisture and release it when the soil gets dry.

    Or you can put a water slice in the bottom of the basket before your compost goes in. This is like a dry pepperoni slice, but it’s actually a polymer. When it’s soaked with water, it turns to a saucer-sized gel that stores the excess moisture every time you water the basket.

    Planting

    The best thing to do is to choose three types of plants: one upright central plant, trailing plants that go round the outside and fillers that really give the basket volume.

    Start with the big plant. Dig a hole in the centre, put your plant in it and firm well in. For the other plants, think of the basket as a clock face. Plant your trailers around the outside at 12, 4 and 8 o’clock, or 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. Then add your filler plants in between and top-up with compost. Do not over pack the basket – leave some space for the plants to develop.

    plant-hanging-basket

    Fuchsias or geraniums are classic centre plants – tall and brightly coloured. A typical trailer is ivy, which adds great evergreen colour. Or try lobelia, helichrysum or trailing geraniums for colour. Good fillers include Busy Lizzies or Begonia Semperflorens, which add extra volume.

    If that’s too many plants, choose one bulky trailing plant such as Petunia Surfinia, which will run down the sides and underneath – it looks fantastic. Simply bed the plants together as one solid group and they’ll grow outwards.

    Maintenance

    Once your basket is planted, water it well. The compost may sink down and leave a gap – if so, add a bit more compost. Hang them in full sunlight and water when the soil starts to dry out. Water your plants with liquid fertiliser throughout their growing season, and remember to deadhead flowers to encourage more blooms.

    And that’s it! Get great hanging baskets with minimal effort and watering.

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    For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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    Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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  • How to: plant and grow a vegetable garden in tubs and containers

    How to: plant and grow a vegetable garden in tubs and containers

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    swiss-chard-veg-gardening-in-containers
    Grow Swiss chard in containers

    You don’t need an allotment to grow your own veg. You don’t need a large garden, or a designated veg patch.

    All you need to enjoy the taste of fresh veg at home is a few tubs.

    There are loads of crops that thrive in containers. You can grow them on patios, balconies, windowsills, driveways and in conservatories.

    Tomatoes are the first one that springs to mind. They are nearly always grown in growbags, and smaller varieties work well in hanging baskets. But why stop there? Get growing carrots, beetroot, potatoes, salad leaves and dwarf French beans in containers!

    Getting started

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    how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-pot
    Potatoes need deep containers

    The type and size of container depends on the crop you wish to grow. Underground veg like carrots and potatoes need deep soil, so choose a tall container. Salads, beans, peas and beetroot need less depth, so you can use something wider and shallower.

    Pick the right spot for the container before you fill it with peat-free compost and plants as it may be too heavy to move. Choose a sunny, sheltered position – ripening vegetables don’t like to be in the shade.

    Make sure you have plenty of drainage material like rocks, gravel and broken pottery at the bottom of the container before adding any soil or peat-free compost. This will ensure good drainage and prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged, which will rot the roots.

    Once you’ve planted up your container with young vegetable plants, spread a layer of mulch on the surface of the soil to help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

    Care and maintenance

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    Grow salad leaves against a wall

    Container-grown vegetables will need a little more attention than those in the garden. Make sure you feed and water the plants regularly. Stake the plants where necessary to give support and keep a vigilant lookout for pests and disease.

    You’ll need to water daily, especially in warmer weather to ensure the soil doesn’t dry out. Vegetable plants need to have a frequent supply of water and nutrients to produce that tasty veg!

    Pest control

    There are always unwelcome visitors on the lookout for your young vegetable plants so pest protection is paramount.Try using natural measures to control the slugs like sticking a ring of self-adhesive copper tape around the containers. Slugs won’t cross this material because it gives them a small electric shock. Or setting beer traps.

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    snails-garden-pests
    Stop slugs and snails eating your crops

    Or sprinkle a ring of sharp grit or crushed eggshells around the base of the plants or around the containers themselves to deter slugs and snails.

    Check regularly for caterpillars which may appear on the underside of the leaves and remove them by hand (wear gloves if you don’t want to touch them!)

    You can even deter bugs with some clever planting! Put a few marigolds among your tomato plants to deter whitefly.

    Or try planting several different vegetables in the same container as this seems to confuse pests. For instance, plant spring onions alongside lettuce and carrots.

    Get growing your own!

    More and more of us are growing our own veg for lots of different reasons. The cost of food keeps rising, and people are becoming more concerned with food miles and the use of commercial pesticides.

    But most importantly, we all want the vegetables we eat to be as fresh and tasty as possible. And nothing tastes as good as veg you’ve grown you’re your own hands. With a little effort, you will literally reap the rewards!

    Bon appetit!

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    For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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    Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]https://new.daviddomoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Easy-vegetables-feature-500×750.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” top_margin=”30px” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://new.daviddomoney.com/10-best-easy-grow-vegetables-beginners/” target=”_self” alignment=”center” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_bottom_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#0e540f” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#0e540f” accent_color=”#0e540f” accent_hover_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#0e540f” border_hover_color=”#ffffff” size=”large” stretch=”yes” 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  • Visiting school gardening winners Cranberry Academy

    Visiting school gardening winners Cranberry Academy

    David Domoney Cranberry Academy RHS

    Cranberry Academy in Cheshire has been awarded the title of ‘most inspiring event’ as part of the ‘Get Your Grown-ups Growing’ campaign run by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening.

    And I had the honour of presenting them with their prize on 1 May: a fantastic Hartley Botanic Wisley 8 greenhouse worth £4000!

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    Scarecrows made by Cranberry Academy pupils
    Scarecrows made by Cranberry Academy pupils

    Get Your Grown-ups Growing is a great initiative for school gardening. Throughout October, schools invite parents, grandparents, carers, friends and members of the local community to help pupils in the garden.

    Cranberry Academy made the event extra special. They devoted a whole week to gardening, and challenged each class to design the best scarecrow, wind chime, insect house and recycled planter.

    IMG_0558

    When the grown-ups came along, they helped pupils build two new raised beds and plant 100 spring bulbs, 100 onion sets and sow over 30 pea plants!

    The academy now hopes to use the greenhouse to focus on edible gardening. Teaching assistant Jane Sawdon said the school wanted all children to know how to sow, grow, harvest and cook their own food.

    IMG_0553

    The school also plans to install water butts and compost bins, and plant potatoes, vegetables, soft fruit shrubs and a 14 tree fruit orchard.

    It’s fantastic to see so many children getting inspired by gardening, and to see parents, relatives and the local community pitching in to help out.

    IMG_0551

    Last year over 1900 schools joined the Get Your Grown-ups Growing campaign. This year’s campaign launched on Thursday 1 May, and I hope even more schools will take part in such a fantastic initiative.

    To find out how to get involved, click here.

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