Tag: herbs

Healthy Heart Tip: The Power of Gardening

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: The Power of Gardening

It is National Gardening Day on 14th April in the UK and as the weather starts to (slowly!) warm up, it is a great time to get outside. Gardening is associated with many health benefits including improved physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Mowing the lawn, digging, weeding and other gardening tasks can help us stay active and hit our weekly exercise goal and simply spending more time outdoors has been shown to improve sleep. If you don’t have a garden, or outdoor space, you can still reap many of the benefits by planting in pots on windowsills or joining a local gardening group near you.

Read on for our top tips to get started and ideas of what to grow: 

Getting started 

Whether you are growing indoors or outdoors, a thriving plant starts with good soil. The surest way to make sure your plants get off to a good start is to buy a bag of compost and use this to start your seedlings; once they are well-established you can re-plant them into regular soil in your garden.

To save money on buying little pots, you can start your seedlings in clean yoghurt pots or any other containers you can save from your kitchen, just poke something sharp through the bottom to allow for some drainage. 

Grow heart-healthy herbs 

Eating too much salt can contribute to increased blood pressure, using herbs in cooking is a great way to add flavour without adding salt. Herbs are one of the easiest things to grow and great for beginners to try. They are a great choice for indoor growing as they do well in pots on a sunny windowsill.

If you’re planting them outdoors, choose the sunniest spot you can find. Chives, mint, basil, parsley, and thyme are just a few that are easy to care for. You can either grow from seeds or buy the small plants from the supermarket and re-pot them. 

Involve the whole family 

Gardening is a hobby for all ages, and it’s a nice activity to do with children. Children love to see flowers grow and growing vegetables together can be a great way to encourage them to try them, which is especially helpful if you have a picky eater.

It is also a great way to introduce a little responsibility in the form of caring for something else, let children choose what flowers and vegetables they want to grow and watch the sense of joy they get from seeing the fruits of their labour. 

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our healthy recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/.

Grow your own Christmas dinner with Dobbies

Free sustainable Grow How session in Edinburgh

Looking to enjoy a sustainably homegrown Christmas feast this year? Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, hosts a free Grow How session in its Edinburgh store to show customers how to prepare a delicious dinner with all the trimmings.

Dobbies’ Grow How interactive session will take place in Edinburgh on Saturday 6 August, perfectly suited for novice gardeners and experts alike.

Dobbies’ horticultural experts will spend 10-15 minutes delivering an informative ‘how to’ guide on growing Christmas dinner staples – Charlotte Potatoes, Autumn King Carrots, Kale Dwarf Green Curled, Parsnip Tender & True, Swiss Chard Bright Lights. In addition to this, the experts will share top tips on creating a thriving herb garden to elevate your meal.

Impress your guests and feed the whole family from your back garden, allotment or balcony space. Potatoes are a great starting crop for children looking to ignite a passion in gardening, so get the whole family involved in the Christmas preparations this year.

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to support the environment and enjoy some of your five a day this Christmas. Sustainability is at the core of this workshop, and Dobbies is highlighting the key benefits of using peat-free compost and safer pest control products in your planters and patches, in addition to showcasing that growing your own heavily reduces your carbon footprint, packaging waste, food waste and eliminates the need for harmful chemical fertilisers.

Sarah Murray, Dobbies’ Partnership and Events Manager, said: “We’re putting on our Santa hats early this year at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and doing everything we can to get our customers ready for the big day in a sustainable way.

“We’re passionate about encouraging growing your own and are looking to help reduce our customers’ carbon footprint when it comes to food transport and wastage.

“Our customers really enjoy our monthly Grow How sessions, and we’re excited to get into the festive swing this August in our Edinburgh store.”

For more details on Dobbies’ Edinburgh Grow How sessions in August, visit www.dobbies.com/grow-how. 

If you’re unable to attend the event, Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles, shares his top tips on growing your own Christmas dinner:

“When growing your own Charlotte Potatoes ensure you’re continually covering shoots with peat-free compost. This encourages the potatoes to multiply and stops them going green. You’ll know your potatoes are ready to harvest when the plants start to flower but the leaves stay green.

“Charlotte Potatoes can be kept in a sealed dark bag for seven-eight months, so be sure to keep these wrapped up and ready for your festivities.

“Autumn King Carrots need an open site with fertile and well-drained soil, an ideal vegetable for growing in a deep container. Sow your crop in the autumn months and make sure to cover them with an insect mesh to prevent carrot flies. Your harvest will be ready in about 10 weeks so if you plant in October, they’ll be ready to eat just in time for Christmas day.”

Herbs are another brilliant and easy plant to grow in the garden or from your windowsill inside.

Marcus explained: “Herbs are great to grow at home and you can use them in a wide variety of dishes throughout the year. They’re easy to maintain and just need regular water, warmth and light to grow.

“For festive flavours Parsley, Sage, Thyme and Rosemary are some of my favourites, and Mint is a great option if you’re looking to jazz up some festive candy cane cocktails.”

For more advice on growing your own, additional tips and inspiration, visit:

www.dobbies.com.

Little Seedlings learn to grow indoors at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store

Free sustainable workshop in February

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, is hosting a free sustainable workshop on Sunday 6 February in Edinburgh for the Little Seedlings Club to learn how to grow indoors. 

Suitable for children aged 4-10, this workshop will take place in Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and will encourage children to take advantage of the cold winter months and start growing fruit, vegetables and herbs indoors.

Children will learn about what fruit and vegetables can successfully be grown indoors, the best technique for chitting potatoes to prepare for sowing and all the benefits and uses of indoor herbs.

Dobbies will also be educating children on the benefits of growing your own for their health and the planet. Home grown produce creates no plastic waste and also reduces food waste as you only harvest what you need. In addition to this, locally grown vegetables reduce carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.

Sarah Murray, Partnership and Events Manager said: “At Dobbies we always look for ways to help our customers be sustainable and we’re delighted to be educating and encouraging the next generation of gardeners to use sustainable practices.

“Our gardening club allows children from all backgrounds to come together and connect with one another in a friendly group setting. Learning about the plants in their garden, wildlife and environment, we strive to nurture their minds with fun-filled activities.

“Our Little Seedlings Club is ever-popular and spaces are filled quickly. We’d encourage anyone looking to bring their children along to our Edinburgh store to book in advance to avoid any disappointment.”

Advance booking is required to secure your space for this free to attend event at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store.

For more information on how your little one can take part, visit:

https://www.dobbies.com/events