When making your own compost there are a few aspects to know about to ensure your compost breaks down well and becomes the perfect compost for your plants to grow in. Homemade compost is invaluable to have in the garden meaning you will be able to use it as a mulch, soil improver or as an organic growing medium.

When making your own compost there are a few aspects to know about to ensure your compost breaks down well and becomes the perfect compost for your plants to grow in. Homemade compost is invaluable to have in the garden meaning you will be able to use it as a mulch, soil improver or as an organic growing medium. Not only does it save cost, but it also means your garden becomes more sustainable and biodiverse as compost heaps, when kept well, can also be beneficial to wildlife. So what does it take to make good compost, how to make it and how to use it? This guide will help you.&nbsp;
<h2>What you need when making your own compost</h2>
Firstly, you will need somewhere to store it, permanently - or at least for a long time. Compost can take from just 3 short months to years to break down and form the perfect garden medium. How long takes depends on what you put in and how you care for it. When you have created space, think about what you will store your compost in. From large, dalek bins to wood pallet bins there are many options. Think about your space and what fits and suits it.&nbsp;
<h2>Know how before you start making your own compost</h2>
A good compost heap consists of a 50/50 mix of nitrogen and carbon mixed materials. Nitrogen will come from green materials such as grass clippings, annual weeds, tea bags and carbon comes from brown materials such as cardboard, straw and woody stems. So every time you add some green materials, try to also add in the same amount of brown materials. Scrunching up paper, cardboard toilet roll tubes and egg boxes to help aerate the compost. If you have too much nitrogen you will end up with a soggy pile or too much carbon means it will take a very long time to break down.
<img alt="Making your own compost" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/homemade-compost-1200x500-647de7527a6a9.png" style="width: 100%;" title="Making your own compost" />
<h2>Making your own compost means taking care of it as well</h2>
Turning your compost pile every now and again will also help to aerate the pile, meaning it will break down quicker. Using a garden fork start from the outside and turn them into the inside. It can be helpful to cover over your bin so it doesn’t get drenched in rain.&nbsp;
<h2>When making your own compost consider it’s uses</h2>
Think about how you will use your homemade compost because when it is dark and crumbly you’ll be able to mulch your plants and pots, improve your soil and grow healthy plants.&nbsp;Visit us in store for all of your composting needs.&nbsp;

Making your own compost

June’s a great month to be out in the garden, with long days and everything in full flower! Keep your garden looking great with our top 15 gardening tips for June.

Summer’s here and it’s the best time of year to be out in the garden, with flowers blooming, bees buzzing and long days to enjoy it all! Keep your garden looking fabulous this summer with our top 15 gardening tips for June.
<ol>
<li>Fill pots and hanging baskets with summer bedding for fantastic colour that lasts for months. Trailing geraniums, petunias and lobelia love sunny spots and busy lizzies and begonias are great for shade. Feed fortnightly with a high potash feed for maximum flowering.</li>
<li>Harden off and plant out runner beans, French beans, squash, courgettes and tomatoes.</li>
<li>Keep on sowing salad leaves, beetroot and carrots to give you a supply all through summer.</li>
<li>First early potatoes should be ready to harvest this month. Dig up one or two first to check how big they are, and if they’re too small, let them grow on for a few more weeks.</li>
<li>Feed tomatoes fortnightly with a high potash feed to encourage fruit development. Container grown vegetables like dwarf beans and courgettes will also benefit from a fortnightly high potash feed – tomato feed works for them all!</li>
<li>Harvest garlic and onion once the leaves turn yellow and start to flop over. 
 
<img alt="15 garden tips for June" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/harvest-garlic-1200x500-646b31f69feaf.png" style="width: 100%;" title="15 garden tips for June" /> 
&nbsp;</li>
<li>Net strawberries as they start to ripen so that the birds don’t get to them before you can enjoy them.</li>
<li>Deadhead repeat-flowering roses and pick sweet peas regularly so that they will keep on flowering all summer.</li>
<li>Once hardy geraniums have finished flowering, cut them back to promote a flush of new foliage and flowers.</li>
<li>Mow the lawn regularly, but in long spells of dry weather, mow less often and on a higher blade setting to reduce stress on the grass. If you have space, leave an area of lawn uncut to provide a home for insects and other garden wildlife.</li>
<li>Weeds grow fast in summer, so keep them under control. On dry days, run a Dutch hoe over the soil to cut down annual weeds like spurge, chickweed and hairy bittercress, and leave the weeds on the soil to wither.</li>
<li>Give Wisteria its summer prune, cutting back all this year’s long whippy shoots to around 20cm long.</li>
<li>Trim evergreen hedges to keep them neat, but always check first to make sure you aren’t disturbing any nesting birds. 
 
<img alt="15 garden tips for June" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/june-gardening-1-1-1200x500-646b331242b84.png" style="width: 100%;" title="15 garden tips for June" /> 
&nbsp;</li>
<li>Prune summer-flowering shrubs like Philadelphus (mock orange), Weigela and Forsythia once they’ve finished flowering, cutting back the flowered shoots to strong buds lower down and removing one in every 3-4 old stems to encourage new growth.</li>
<li>Water in the early mornings or evenings to reduce water loss through evaporation, and install waterbutts to conserve rainwater for use on the garden.</li>
</ol>
Whether you’re planting, weeding or simply relaxing in a deck chair, you’ll find everything you need in our centre, so pay us a visit soon!

Top 15 gardening tips for June

Children are always excited about being in the natural world, feeling awe and curiosity all around.&nbsp;These top five tips to get kids gardening will help to encourage kids in your family or friends to get engaged with growing plants.

These top five tips to get kids gardening will help to encourage kids in your family or friends to get engaged with growing plants. Children are always excited about being in the natural world, feeling awe and curiosity all around. Without fear they will usually climb trees and run bare foot on the lawn and this natural affinity with the garden can keep children entertained for hours as they can also learn how to sow seeds, nurture and watch plants grow and learn where their food comes from and how giant Sunflowers grow. There are some really easy ways to get started and here are our top five.
<h2>1. Get their hands dirty&nbsp;</h2>
Unless they are gardening where pets have been or near thorny or stinging plants, let them get their hands in the soil. It’s a great opportunity for them to learn about how important the soil is for plants to grow and all about the magical life beneath their feet. Remember turning over a stone or rock to discover woodlice, worms and millipedes? It’s fascinating to look at what goes on in the garden and kids will love to explore.&nbsp;
<img alt="Top five tips to get kids gardening" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/gardening-with-kids-1200x500-646b29412cb4b.png" style="width: 100%;" title="Top five tips to get kids gardening" />
<h2>2. Have a growing competition&nbsp;</h2>
This could be between members of your family or wider friend group or even at school! Who can grow the tallest Sunflower is always a great one to get kids involved with because the seeds germinate fast and ultimately they become something so big and pretty, it’s great for kids to enjoy. &nbsp;The winner could be given a packet of Sunflower seeds for next year!
<h2>3. Sow fast growing seeds&nbsp;</h2>
While gardening does teach us as adults patience, kids perhaps need something to keep them engaged a little quicker! Choosing seeds that tend to germinate quickly along with some others as well means they will see what happens sooner and will stay engaged. Most peas, squash and even micro greens will grow fast enough to keep them happy while the other seeds take a bit longer.&nbsp;
<h2>4. Choose fun edibles&nbsp;</h2>
There are so many flowers that are also edible such as pansies, nasturtiums and herb flowers. Add some of these into the kids garden area and they can try some petals to eat as well! Lots of fun, lots of colour and lots of different flavours.&nbsp;
<img alt="Top five tips to get kids gardening" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/top-five-tips-to-get-kids-gardening-1200x500-646b2a6c9b253.png" style="width: 100%;" title="Top five tips to get kids gardening" />
<h2>5. Give them their own space and tools&nbsp;</h2>
Especially if you want to look after the rest of your garden in your own way, why not allocate them a space to grow whatever they want, to dig and to learn? By giving them a little space and their own tools they will take ownership and love two watch it grow.&nbsp;
Visit us in store for plenty of fun seeds to sow, children’s tools and lots of inspiration.&nbsp;

Top five tips to get kids gardening

Extend your home into your garden with a beautiful outdoor living room and enjoy the best of both worlds! Read our top tips on how to create your perfect outdoor living space.

Making an outdoor living space in your garden gives you the best of both worlds – a place to enjoy being in nature with all the comforts of your living room on hand! There are many ways to turn an outdoor area into an extension of your home and here are a few of our favourite ideas.
<ol>
<li>Decide how you want to use your outdoor living space – whether it’s a space for entertaining family and friends, or somewhere you can escape to when you need some time to yourself. Think about how much space you need, and what sort of furniture you want. Spend some time watching where the sunlight falls in your garden throughout the day to help you decide where to make your outdoor living room.</li>
<li>Make a small space feel bigger by hanging a mirror on a fence or wall. The mirror acts like a window into a new part of the garden, reflecting areas you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. Choose a mirror designed for outdoor use.</li>
<li>Layer up benches and comfortable chairs with cushions and rugs to add softness, texture and colour, and give your outdoor space an air of cosiness. 
 
<img alt="Create the ultimate outdoor living room" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/outdoor-living-room-1200x500-6461f4281e0e8.png" style="width: 100%;" title="Create the ultimate outdoor living room" /> 
&nbsp;</li>
<li>Place outdoor rugs over decking to define a seating area and add a splash of colour. Made of durable, weather-proof fabrics, these will cope with summer rains, although they’ll last longer if you bring them indoors over winter.</li>
<li>Add a parasol, umbrella or shade sail. This not only provides a shady retreat on sunny days, but also makes your space feel more intimate and private.</li>
<li>Look for furniture that would suit being used indoors (for example, in a conservatory) as well as outdoors – this helps create the feel of an outdoor room and also means you can use the furniture indoors in winter! Stylish bamboo and rattan furniture is perfect for outdoor living rooms.</li>
<li>Create a boundary for your outdoor room – you can do this very simply using screening plants such as bamboo in pots, or a trellis covered with flowering climbers.</li>
<li>Lighting lets you extend the use of your outdoor room well into the evening. Strings of fairy lights create an atmosphere of celebration, and solar stake lights are ideal for marking pathways and boundaries. 
 
<img alt="Create the ultimate outdoor living room" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/outdoor-living-room-3-1200x500-6461f63771352.png" style="width: 100%;" title="Create the ultimate outdoor living room" /> 
&nbsp;</li>
<li>Create a focal point for your outdoor room. This could be a water feature, a fire pit or even a small ornamental tree such as a Japanese maple in a large container.</li>
<li>Link garden and house with outdoor plants that replicate the look of those indoors. Ferns and bold-leaved canna and arum lilies are ideal for creating an indoor/outdoor connection. You could even move indoor plants outdoors in summer, but remember to bring them inside again before the first frosts arrive.</li>
</ol>
Create the perfect outdoor room with our extensive ranges of plants and outdoor furniture. You’ll find everything you need in our centre!

Create the ultimate outdoor living room

On the Blog

Watching a seed germinate and grow is a hugely exciting part of your gardening year: you hardly dare&nbsp;believe it&#39;s going to work, yet invariably that tiny kernel sends up a sturdy green sprout. The plants you raise&nbsp;from seed are always a bit special, so this year try raising something new from the hundreds of varieties from&nbsp;our garden centre.

Annuals: hardy annuals like love-in-a-mist, marigolds and nasturtiums are easiest of all and provide&nbsp;incredibly long seasons of colour from a few seeds scattered direct into the ground in spring.

Half-hardy annuals include all the bedding plants: in our garden centre you&#39;ll find seed to sow under cover&nbsp;in spring for colourful containers all summer long including pelargoniums, petunias, surfinias and nemesia.

Perennials: several perennials are very easy from seed, flowering in their first year and coming back again&nbsp;and again. Try echinacea, rudbeckia, grasses like deschampsia and hardy geraniums from our range.

Vegetable seeds: our largest selection of seeds is reserved for the grow-your-own enthusiast, with every&nbsp;veg from cucumbers to swede. Our heritage ranges boast superb flavour, or for something completely&nbsp;different try exotic veg like tamarilloes.

<h3>Franchi&nbsp;Seeds</h3>

are the&nbsp;oldest family run seed company in the world, we specialise in &quot;Italy from the Seed to the plate&quot;. We are passionate about the provenance and regionality&nbsp;of everything we sell.&nbsp;

We were found to be the most ethical major packet seed brand by Ethical Consumer Magazine 26/2/16, we&#39;re Vegetarian Society Vegan approved,&nbsp; 
Slow Food UK approved and multiple&nbsp;RHS&nbsp;medal winners. We stock Vegan, Gluten Free, Organic, Regional, Natural and Italian Wholefood&nbsp;products.&nbsp;

Please ask the staff in our garden centre in %locations%&nbsp;for more information and advice about the seeds in our range.

<img align="left" alt="" height="75" src="https://www.thehertfordshiregardencentre.com/files/images/logo-Franchi-Seeds.jpg" style="width: 180px; height: 75px; float: left;" width="180" />

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*please be advised a variety of our products are seasonal. And can only be found at certain points of the year.

Seeds

GROWING FROM CUTTINGS 
 
Cuttings fall into three main groups, but whichever method you use it is essential that cuttings are taken from healthy plants:
<ul>
<li>&nbsp;hardwood</li>
<li>&nbsp;softwood</li>
<li>&nbsp;semi-ripe</li>
</ul>
HARDWOOD CUTTINGS<

Seeds & Cuttings

 Most of our gardens have seen the last of the frosts, which means now is the time to hang out those summer baskets and place pots of summer bedding in position. Make sure they are kept well watered and if cold nights are forecast cover them with horticultural fleece.

Monday	07:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	07:00 - 17:00
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Thursday	07:00 - 17:00
Friday	07:00 - 17:00
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Sunday	10:00 - 16:00