Grow Your Own Lover Upgrades To Year Round Gardening
So many of us are guilt of buying in to the Springtime gardening hype, and by the time September rolls around we are ready to hibernate for the winter: leaving our gardens to fend for themselves until we eventually pick up the propagator again in February the next year. Perhaps we plant some bulbs for good measure to make ourselves feel a bit better about the lack of activity in our garden over the colder months… but that’s as far as it goes. Sound familiar?
Jo had always taken the winter off for growing, but when she heard of our 4 season mini greenhouses she found out that there’s never a bad time to grow your own.
Were you looking for a new greenhouse?
I was researching better ways to water my off grid Poly tunnel when I came across Harvst. I wasn’t intending to buy another structure for the garden at home as I already have a plant house and a walk around greenhouse for raising seedlings for use at home and at the allotment, however I was struck by the idea of a 4 season greens project.
I had always taken September – January to be off limits for growing anything from seed apart from broad beans: but looking at the Sprout I realised that maybe I could have salads, etc. throughout the winter months without losing my windowsills! The idea of an outdoor, year round growing space was too much of a lure and I succumbed…
Tell us a little more about your garden and your growing – what do you like growing?
I have a few raised beds at home in a garden that I share with a football mad son and an energetic Labrador, (my husband and daughter are just happy to sit and enjoy any fine weather so don’t need any special consideration). With this in mind I need to protect everything from either stray balls or dogs (let’s not even mention the foxes or squirrels who seem to relish digging up new plantings just for the fun of it). So I start off all sowings undercover either in seed trays or guttering to be planted out when they would have a better chance of survival. Mainly herbs, salads, spinach, beans and courgettes at home, things that benefit from being harvested and prepared for the kitchen quickly. I grow everything else on a wonderful allotment which is a 20 minute walk away.
What have you grown in your Sprout so far? Do you have anything planned for next season?
I received the Sprout in mid November, normally a time I wouldn’t even consider any new sowing! However I have sown radish, mixed salad leaves, winter hardy spring onions and spinach. I’m thrilled to report that all have germinated well and continue to grow strongly. As the main problem about winter sowings is a lack of light and heat, Sprout is an ideal solution. I haven’t used the automated watering system yet as I want to keep the seedlings from getting too damp, but I look forward to using this feature in the future.
What was easy and difficult about setting up?
The Sprout was so simple to assemble by myself with no extra tools required (other than a cup of coffee and biscuit). It’s definitely worth reading the instructions carefully and although it may look as though there’s not enough thermo tape to do all the panels rest assured there is plenty so spend the time to do it properly.
Do you harvest your own water?
I harvest water at the allotment so have lots available for the polytunnel but don’t currently do so at home due to lack of available space but will maybe try to look for options next year.
And finally, would you recommend Sprout?
I will definitely recommend the system to anyone who will listen! Having a lot of friends who share my passion for growing vegetables some of whom only have a balcony, I think the outdoor growing space with heat and light is a massive game changer in the world of propagation and growing.
