Win a Set of Gardening Tools!


Here's something to cheer up the winter blues! 

Today I'm teaming up with Gardens Galore to bring you the first super competition for this year. The prize is a Draper fork, spade and mini trowel and fork kit valued at over £50 :) 

The weather forecast may be dire, but before you know it, the evenings will be light again and we'll getting outside to prepare for the coming season. A new kit of tools could be the very thing to help you get cracking!

 If you can't make use of the prize, why not enter anyway? I'm sure there's a community project, school or something similar in your neighbourhood who'd welcome your donation.

All you need to do is leave a comment below to enter. If you tweet a link to this post or RT my link, that'll double your chances of winning. The closing date is midnight, Sunday, 24th February. Comments and tweets will be allocated a number corresponding with the order of entry and then I'll use a random number generator to determine the winner. 

Note: this giveaway is open to UK residents only. Please ensure your comment or tweet gives me the means to contact you if you're the winner, otherwise your entry won't be valid.

 Good luck!

Comments

  1. Unknown10 February 2013 at 14:09

    My son used my favourite spade as a sledgehammer and snapped the venerable shaft, so could do with winning these!

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP10 February 2013 at 14:29

    TTG - Congratulations - you're the first entry via the Comments :) Good luck for 2 weeks time!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Captain Shagrat10 February 2013 at 14:47

    Trowels are my favourite bit of kit, and spring just round the corner too. I have only sown leeks up to press.... one little bit of green has popped up just this morning. oooooh the excitement. Would love to be in it to win it....Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stacy10 February 2013 at 17:08

    I broke my fork in the autumn when I was digging over the plot so I am in need of a we one! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Angie10 February 2013 at 19:31

    I've had my spade a very long time and there is a tiny crack on the wooden shaft. If I were too win - it would come just at the right time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10 February 2013 at 19:36

    A big garden with only one set of tools. I need to win these. Please

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP10 February 2013 at 19:39

      Hi - I'd love to add you to the prize draw, but as you're anonymous I don't have any means to contact you. If you wish to be included please give me a linkable comment or email me at vegplotting at gmail dot com

      Delete
  7. Jo10 February 2013 at 19:41

    Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I've noticed that the days are getting longer already, and the clocks go forward next month too, I can't wait. It makes such a difference when the evenings don't draw in quite so quickly. I'd love to be in with a chance of winning the giveaway please.

    ReplyDelete
  8. VP10 February 2013 at 19:41

    Captain Shagrat, Stacy Drury and Angie - your names are added to the list. Thank you :)

    I'm amazed how many people are nursing broken tools and pleased I have a prize which will help one lucky winner :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. VP10 February 2013 at 19:44

    Hi Jo - my pleasure and you're added to the list :) Welcome to Veg Plotting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anna B10 February 2013 at 19:52

    What an amazing giveaway!! I'd love to enter too :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. bloomers10 February 2013 at 23:09

    I really need some new gardening tools, please count me in!

    robertfox24 [at] aol [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  12. bloomers10 February 2013 at 23:10

    I have shared on twitter - @bloomingfox

    ReplyDelete
  13. HELENE11 February 2013 at 04:55

    What a lovely prize! I could really do with some new tools, thanks for arranging for this :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lu11 February 2013 at 09:17

    me too please - I don't need any but the school gardening club does!

    ReplyDelete
  15. VP11 February 2013 at 09:32

    Anna B, bloomers, Helene and Lu - you're all added to the list :)

    Welcome bloomers - I've added your tweet entry too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Margaret11 February 2013 at 10:16

    I'm needing some extra garden tools to keep at the allotment, these would be really useful. I've retweeted your tweet too:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. VP11 February 2013 at 10:20

    Thanks Margaret - that's your double entry noted :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous12 February 2013 at 06:50

    I can always use new tools ... I bought a small propagator yesterday to cheer away winter 'no gardening' blues! Maybe you can write 'top tips' to use propagators? The garden store employee wasn't so helpful ...

    Carmen, manwagtoo@talktalk.net

    ReplyDelete
  19. VP12 February 2013 at 11:10

    Thanks for your entry Carmen - good luck! Re propagators, what would you like to know?

    Note to self - don't forget Jan's email entry via her subscription, plus all the Twitter folk. *notes dates and times*

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous12 February 2013 at 22:47

    What a great prize. Need some new tools for the plot for my son as he's growing out of his childs set.

    Paul

    ReplyDelete
  21. Helen Dickinson13 February 2013 at 18:38

    What a great prize. I would love to win these for our little garden. Can make it more pretty for our little boy.

    Helen knightwoodroad@hotmail.com

    http://introducingmummytothemax.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Helen Dickinson13 February 2013 at 18:39

    Also have tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MummyToTheMax/status/301762444953542656

    x

    ReplyDelete
  23. anna13 February 2013 at 18:48

    this would come in handy for our garden in the summer
    can contact on twitter @ummziyad

    ReplyDelete
  24. anna13 February 2013 at 18:48

    heres my tweet

    https://twitter.com/ummziyad/status/301764843415941121

    ReplyDelete
  25. mellysocks14 February 2013 at 00:56

    This is a great prze,my husband does gardening for other people,especially my mum,so he could use this :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. mellysocks14 February 2013 at 00:58

    https://twitter.com/mellysocks/status/301857571852124160 I have tweeted too

    ReplyDelete
  27. antjon14 February 2013 at 09:12

    I think every gardener will already have a tool set like these, but if they are like mine they will be ready for replacing, these nice new shiny ones will look the bee's knees in my garden shed

    ReplyDelete
  28. Kay Sexton14 February 2013 at 16:20

    Ooh nice - would be perfect for my students as I never have enough equipment for them to all try out a technique at the same time!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Olivia B17 February 2013 at 14:01

    What a lovely prize! They would be handy for the spring, time to sort the garden out!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Olivia B17 February 2013 at 14:04

    Tweeted here; @Mi55o
    https://twitter.com/Mi55o/status/303142694371356672

    ReplyDelete
  31. VP18 February 2013 at 11:48

    Thanks for your entries everyone - all logged and numbered ready for the draw :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Unknown27 February 2013 at 08:45

    What a fantastic prize!! my dad would absolutely love these for his birthday, his are very old and rotting away

    ReplyDelete
  33. VP27 February 2013 at 09:37

    Sorry Callum, your comment arrived after the closing date shown in the post and the draw has taken place already. I hope your dad gets some tools for his birthday.

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more