little green fingers

Mini-greenhouse winners

So, I'm a day late, but we have at last drawn names for the mini-greenhouse winners.  Thanks to everyone who entered and also those who gave invaluable greenhouse tips (Lucie, WT Softie and Damo).  It is rather sad when you realise the comments left by others are more useful than the original blog post but I'm learning to live with this disappointment.

So without further ado, the winners are... Diana and Karen (as picked by Ava and Oscar). 

This is actually the second time Oscar has picked 'Karen' from a hat.  A different Karen admittedly, but there still seems something oddly suspect about it (which may explain Ava's sideways glance - she is a stickler for rules and may well be setting up an inquiry as I type).

Inception, windowsills and giving away mini greenhouses

I watched Inception at the weekend. For anyone unfamiliar with the movie, it's an impressively shot tale in which there are dreams, within dreams, within dreams and being able to tell what is reality and what is merely your subconscious is tricky.

Well, not that tricky really.  I think I've sussed it.  Look at the windowsills.  If it's a dream, these will be elegant affairs with a few well chosen objects on display.  If it's reality, they will be overun with such a mountain of detritus that just the thought of trying to clear them will bring you out in a cold sweat.

At this time of year mine are usually in a particularly dire state.  Not only is there the usual melange of invitations, cards, photos and confiscated Nintendo DS' but also at least half a dozen different sowings from tomatoes to beans, fighting for light and life.

Not this year.  Oh no, because I have a greenhouse (and yes, I am able to work this statement into almost any situation). However, I realise not everyone has the space, inclination or sheer luck to get their hands on one of these, so I've also been testing out a mini greenhouse.

This one, from Homebase, is offcially called a '2 Tier Grow Rack' and, if I'm honest, I wasn't expecting great things.  First of all it's very inexpensive (it was £20.49 and is now reduced to £13.49) and my father's adage of 'buy cheap, buy twice' came to mind. But getting it out of the box, it felt reasonably strong.  It was also very easy to put together with all the poles labelled.  It would only take a normal person about five minutes (or 10 minutes for someone who fails to read the instructions and is simultaneously juggling a mug of tea and flapjack).  The only tricky bits were the mesh grill shelves which initially pinged off whenever I tried to attach them onto the framework although they eventually behaved themselves.

When constructed you have a two-shelf structure and cover with enough height to grow on some good sized plants and best of all, the strength and space to hold 12 seed trays (which should equate to at least three clear windowsills).

Also, the mini greenhouse is perfect for children with everything being at their height and the front section unzipping easily to allow for watering and ventilation.

It does need siting somewhere relatively sheltered as it's not anchored to the ground and wouldn't hold it's own in strong winds.  We popped ours against a wall in our side passage which worked perfectly.

If you fancy messing with your mind and creating some Inception style clear windowsills of your own, I have two of these mini greenhouses to give away.  All you need to do is leave a comment below and I'll draw a name from a hat in a week... probably whilst standing in my greenhouse (see, I told you I could work it into any situation).

Cutting gardens, Scrabble words and the need to be right

I love being right. Yes, yes, I know everyone loves being right but I really love being right.

Sadly, this seems to be a genetic fault, transferred directly down the Isaac bloodline.  My daughter has it (and oh, won't that make for a fun time in those teenage years) and my eldest brother definitely suffers from it. In fact he once called me whilst holidaying with friends in Scotland so I could look up his latest offering on the Scrabble board as no-one believed it to be a real word. It was, but, as I said (so wisely, I felt) at the time "NIck you can be right, or you can be popular, but you can't be both".  And do you know what - I was right (which felt good, of course).

Anyway, this need to be right is being tested at the moment because I am in the midst of trying out lots of children's projects for my book. Some I have done many times, but others I have simply planned in my head and on paper. This means that one or two, when tested, just won't come right. In particular my (if I might say) genius idea for a miniature knot garden has been abandoned because the seeds weren't quite as sure about it as I was.

Then again, sometimes the plans come to fruition. Our rainbow cutting garden took a great deal of planning to find the right bulbs with the right colours that would come out at the right time. Then it was a matter of planting up, waiting and hoping.

But look!  It worked.  And you know what that means don't you?

Yes - I was right (but not necessarily popular...)

Show-and-tell seed packets

I am an incredibly thoughtful person.  Unfortunately, it really isn't the thought that counts.  It's pulling your finger out and turning that thought into action.

Sadly this is where I fall down.

Thankfully, some people are much better at this which is why, a few days ago, the children and I received a parcel of delights.  It came from Dave, an old friend of my husband's and his family, and now of ours.  He lives in the States but is a self-confessed anglophile and when over here, always makes the effort to catch up. Not only did he come bearing gifts on his most recent visit but on his return home, put together another package to send over. 

These were seeds he'd bought at the Philadelphia Flower Show from the Hudson Valley Seed Library.

Isn't this exactly how seed packets should look? And read?

Each of the packs is designed by a different New York artist and folds out into a flower shape.  What's more, they're of good enough quality that you can keep and even frame them. Then, of course, they elicit that Pokemon card style twitch telling you to collect them all.

Plus the names are so much more exciting than your run of the mill seeds; we have Tiny Tim Tomato, Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry, Calico Popcorn, Good Bug Blooms and Green Zebra Tomato.

All this makes them perfect for children.  If you still need convincing, I'll tell you that the reason I can only photograph four packs is that Ava has taken the fifth in to 'Show and Tell' today - and there wasn't even bribery involved.

Of course, I've no idea how we'll get on with the actual growing.  Most are heirloom seeds adapted to a New York State of Mind, but even if we fail, we can always just sit back and gaze lovingly at the packets.

Oh, and in other news...

...I survived the Ideal Home Show.

No-one threw fruit.

Some people even asked questions.

Best of all, my face healed in time - or at least well enough that Lancome was able to disguise any residual horrors.

Also thank you to everyone who left their 'perfect family garden' feedback - all of which was invaluable particularly as I was still tweaking the talk with two hours to go. Some may view this as disorganised, but actually it's a well respected technique to keep it 'fresh in the mind' (I used to work in PR - can you tell?).