Bulldog Ratchet Pruning Shears BD31303 – Product Review

20mm cutting diameter ratchet pruning shears

Review by Michael Smith

I have to say that this is the first of those kinds of pruning shears that I ever really have had an opportunity to use and review.

Other manufacturers and vendors for some reason have been more than reluctant, to say the least, to part with one of those for a proper and thorough product review and I leave the reader to draw his or her own conclusions as to the why and wherefore of this.

Bulldog's representatives on IOG Saltex 2008 were more than happy to supply me with one of those and so far I must say that I am quite impressed with this tool.

It took a little while for me to get the proper hang of it as to the best way of using it but once that had been mastered it is just a great piece of kit.

The maximum cutting size, in my opinion, should not be exceeded when cutting hardwoods, whether green or not, such as apply, plum, oak, etc. While it may work alright with slightly larger branch diameters, I must say that I would not recommend doing it.

Once the “trick” of properly using the ratchet is mastered this pair of pruners cuts through quite thick branches without any real effort. Small pruning is best done with the topmost tip of the pruners as it is then just the single snip. This is very good for dead heading of roses and also general small pruning rather than using the cutting jaws further down that then still employs the ratchet, making the cutting process a little slower.

On larger material the ratchet makes cutting virtually effortless and I recently used it to cut back a Willow (Salix) and in this instance cutting material with diameters of 35mm and such without any problems. It must be considered thought that green willow is a rather soft wood.

I also used it to prune some apple trees and in that case I restricted myself to about the maximum given diameter for this pair of pruners and there as well very little effort and strength was needed for the cutting.

From what I have seen so far as to the performance and reliability I can, I think, very much recommend this model of Bulldog's pruners without any hesitation.

Once again another piece of kit that is of fine quality at a very reasonable price.

© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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Bulldog Mini Bypass Pruning Shears BD3150 – Product Review

Review by Michael Smith

The Bulldog BD3150 mini bypass pruning shears are a very nice and handy little pair of pruners for the cutting back of live or 'green' foliage and also capable of basically all small pruning tasks. In my opinion those pruners are also great for children who wish to help in the garden. Yes, I do know that they are cutting tools and sharp but they will never learn how to do things if they are not permitted to learn when young.

The cutting capacity is 6mm which is just under 1/2 inch in old money. However, it is probably possible to cut a little thicker pieces like that. It all depends on what material they are. While I would not suggest to cut a 3/4 inch apple twig or one of other hard wood with this pair of pruning shears it it, however, possible to cut bramble runners of that size and even bigger, especially if they are “green”.

While an ideal little pair of pruning shears for the home and also the allotment gardener they are also suitable for the professional when about generally in case there is something to be that needs dead heading, whether roses or flowering plants in general. In addition it is also an ideal small pair of secateurs for the Park and Countryside Ranger on patrol should the need arise to cut some bramble runners or such clear from a path to protect the public from injury. It is the small size here that comes in at the forefront, allowing it to just be slipped into a pocket or a notebook belt pouch or such.

Those mini bypass pruners are also brilliant for harvesting produce in your veggie garden or plot, whether those be beans or other vegetables, and do a much better job than garden scissors, for instance.

The grip is a soft elastomer kind of material than makes using them a pleasure.

Priced at an RRP of £8.44 they hardly break the bank and as with all Bulldog tools we are talking quality at an affordable price. I know that you can get secateurs for less than £3 or even for as low as 99pence but what are you getting there?

The only one thing that I am not too sure about, I must say, as to reliability and durability, is the yellow – in the case of the green handles version of the BD3150 mini bypass pruning shears that I was given for review – plastic sliding lock. I would have rather seen something like the lock on the BD3152 bypass pruning shears. In use I find that at times that lock slides forward and, in fact, locks the shears. This is, though, not the only kind of lock on secateurs that I have a problem with. The old style, as on the afore mentioned BD3152 – the clasp on the bottom of the handles – still takes a lot of beating. The spring too, maybe, just maybe, could do with, in my opinion, being just a little bit stronger.

However, this small pair of mini pruners is something that many people will have been waiting for, and also those gardeners that want to be able to allow their youngsters a go in the garden with dead heading and such but the secateurs on the market in general are too large to really be able to do that. These mini pruning shears will, certainly, bridge that gap.

© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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Pea pod soup

At one time I thought growing English peas was a waste of time and garden space for what we got back. Now I grow lots of peas since my wife discovered how to make soup from the pods.

In case you would like to try it, here is the recipe.

2 qts green pea pods(pods only)
1 tsp salt
1 onion
1 tsp pepper
2 Cups milk
3 TBSP flour
1 tsp sugar
a little Nutmeg
3 TBSP butter

Wash pea pods, cut into 1' long pieces, boil in water with onion for 1 1/2 hrs. Strain through colander, add pepper, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and milk (which has been scalded). Bring to boil and thicken with butter and flour mixture.

With a sandwich, this is really good, especially on a cold day.

Owen Newman 2008

Romani Herbs - Part 2

Cabbage: highly regarded by the Rom, it's germ killing and anti-inflammatory properties being well known. Leaves were bound on wounds,boils, abscesses, and sores. Crushed cabbage leaves were applied to bites and stings of insects. Arthritis and rheumatism, muscle aches and menstrual cramps called for an application of hot cabbage leaves, as did also sore throats. Cabbage water is good for preventing nightmares and stomach infections. These same properties can be found in sauerkraut as the cabbage enzymes are preserved in the fermentation.

Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus): The juice is rubbed on warts and corns, to remove them. Very effective,but mix with a little vinegar first and use sparingly.

Chamomile: Very strong antiseptic,the smell of which repels bees and biting insects. An infusion is used to a tonic and cure for flatulence,digestive problems. Relieves nausea and diarrhea. Helpful for babies with colic and teething pain. Being an effective sedative, the tea should not be drunk to excess. Flowers made into a paste can be used to treat skin ulcers, infections, rashes, and burns. For asthma it is smoked like tobacco.

Chervil: Used raw as digestive, diuretic, and expectorant. Use only young, green leaves. Cut fine with a knife... Do not chop!

Chestnut: Leaves were used in a tincture to treat chilblains, eczema,and rheumatism.

Chickweed: Very valuable plant. Stems were cooked and given to children that were undernourished to gain strength. Also used for rheumatism and cramps. Being potent, it is never used in large doses. It can sometimes cause mild temporary paralysis.

Chicory: The root made into a tonic is bitter digestive that increases bile flow and eases inflammation. The roasted root is used as coffee substitute and additive. An excellent tonic for the liver, and cleansing the urinary tract. Used as a mild laxative for children.

Red clover: A tea was made of the dried flowers to make a tonic for indigestion, headache, nausea, neuralgia, and bronchitis. Also used as a sedative for nervous complaints. Poultices are used to treat ulcers and sores. The dried flowers mixed with coltsfoot are used as an herbal tobacco.

Coltsfoot: Leaves were gathered after all the flowers had disappeared then dried. They were used to treat colds and bronchitis. Infused with honey, relieves asthma and pleurisy. A decoction of crushed leaves is applied to insect bites, ulcers, burns and cuts. Tobacco was made from the leaves mixed other leaves, comfry, beech and chestnut. It was smoked to cure asthma.

Comfrey: Also known as knitbone or boneset. The root is lifted in March, then grated and mashed and the warm pulp used as a poultice to treat inflammations, wounds, insect bites, and sores. It sets up hard just like a plaster cast.

O Newman, June 2008

Useful herbs of the Rom – Part 1

Being an outdoor people and outside of the mainstream of society, the Rom learned to use what grew in nature. Science is constantly affirming the healing power of herbs.

This is only a partial list. Many of these herbs are also used by people in rural sections of the United States.

Adders tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum): A fern that was crushed,cooked in oil,and strained,after which the oil was used to treat wounds. As the name suggests it was used to treat snake bite.

Agrimony: Also known as cocklebur or sticklewort, was used to treat eye troubles and as a compress for wounds.

Wild Angelica: grows alongside brooks and streams and produced a yellow dye. Stalks were blanched and eaten with bread and butter. The stems were chewed to relieve flatulence.

Balm, also called lemon balm: An infusion of the leaves was used to treat nervous troubles and fevers. It is a mild sedative and is an effective cure for insomnia. Balm is also used for headaches, depression, menstrual cramps, and queasy stomachs

Basil: A small amount (1/2tsp)of finely chopped leaves were added to a cup of hot water to ease stomach trouble and vomiting.

Bay: Not the common laurel used in hedgerows. Placed in containers of flour or grains and vegetables prevents damage from weevils. (ed. note, we do this today because it works!) Used to flavor stews and soups.

Blackberries: A tea made from the leaves is a cure for upset stomach. Blackberry brandy is an effective cure for diarrhea and will help in cases of the flu.

Blackthorn's young shoots are boiled in water and used as a toothache remedy.

Borage: Used to bring down fevers and treat depression. Leaves boiled or added to drinks.

Burdock: Leaves, flowers, or seeds were made into an infusion to cure rheumatism. The root is used as a blood purifier and to treat arthritis pain.

Butterbur: Leaves are used as tonic and to ward off fevers.

O. W. Newman

Natural fertilizers

All of us that garden know the benefit of fertilizer in building up the soil. Without it, our gardens would be pathetic.

There are many types of fertilizers, organic and chemical. It has been proven over and over that organic types are by far the best. Manures, compost, seaweed, and others.

Some, such as seaweed can be expensive. Anything that has to be trucked for any distance is going to be very costly from now on. Probably unaffordable for most of us.

Now, animal manures are probably the best all around fertilizers. But they're not easy to get if you're not close to a source such as a farm or stable.

Besides, your neighbors may have something to say about the odour. You could lose some friends too.

Using chemicals, for most of us, is just not in the best interests of the garden, and ultimately us. Is there a way that we can safely put fertilizer on our gardens and ruin our bank account, or poison us? Yep! You bet!

On any bag of fertilizer you will three sets of numbers designating the percentage of the three most needed ingredients. They list the amount of nitrogen(N), potash(P), and phosphorus(K). If you can put those three on your garden you should have decent crop.

Chemical types most generally have only those three, nothing else. But what if you could put those on but have some trace elements too? Yet not be afraid of burning the soil, harming the earthworms, or wear protective clothing that makes you look like an alien?

Well, you can! Go to a farm store and buy a bag of dehydrated alfalfa, then go to a nursery (the farm store might have this also) and buy some bone meal. Then go to your wood-burning stove and clean out all the ashes. If you don't have a stove, go to one of your friends that does get haul his ashes away. If nothing else, burn some old tree branches to get ashes. Whatever! Get some wood ashes.

Now, the alfalfa will supply the N, the ashes will supply the P, the bone-meal will supply the K. Sprinkle this where you will plant, no need to put it over the whole garden, weeds love fertilizer too. Just sprinkle it on the part where the plants will be. Work it into soil good and sprinkle it lightly.

You may have to put more on than you think. It won't hurt to cover the ground good. You will not kill anything if you get a little too much on unlike chemical types. And it certainly won't kill your gardening partners, the earthworms.

Owen Newman

The Good Life - or - How to do Smallholding

Many people assume that, in order to live the “good life”, one has to have the mythical two acres of land in the countryside. But this is not the case. Don't, in fact, wait until you have those mythical two acres in the countryside. On the contrary. Begin where you are. In many ways you can already set up smallholding, the “good life” where you are. Many of us, who are old enough, for sure, remember the television series entitled “The Good Life” where the people attempted to make a smallholding in the subdivisions. Nothing against this, I should think, though, maybe, the keeping of pigs, goats and such might be a little bit over the top. Today there is, once again, a lot more emphasis on allotments and that is certainly a place to start. But even patio planting, and even balcony planting can give you some self-sufficiency as far as food and food production is concerned.

Like home, your smallholding, can nearly be anywhere.

OK, doing it on an allotment or in your garden at you property in suburbia may not be the smallholding dream but it (1) is a start and (2) good preparation for the time when you can actually make the move, if indeed you still want to after having started it where you are.

How big does a smallholding have to be? Well, you can start with your garden at home, with an allotment, even with patio or balcony planting. Go vertical instead of horizontal if need be. Horizontal planting, whether lack of space or not, is a good idea anyway in order to increase the area for food production. Many plants grow well in pots suspended from shelves and hanging frames on walls or trellises, and then there are vines and others that grow well on trellises. Runner beans, for instance, instead of a “beanery” in the form of a pyramid or such like, plant them along a trellis and let them climb than. Immediately you have gained some space for other crops where you would, generally, had your runner beans.

Fruit trees grow well in that way too, along a frame, similar to a trellis. Many a small orchard on the European mainland seems to be worked in that manner and they all tend to look a little like vineyards then.

No one wishing to try their hands on the smallholding dream needs to wait for the mythical two or more acres of land in the countryside. The good life can begin exactly where you are presently.

In addition to your garden and other areas at home that may be utilized for growing your own food, and then, if you have the time and all that, an allotment or two, you could do “clandestine gardening & farming” (look out for an article on this to come in due course). My family did when I was a child. Clandestine farming and gardening is, basically, growing food in the hedgerows and other “derelict land, including, as it was in my family's case, in woodland meadows and such.

When setting out beds for the growing of crops in your home and allotment smallholding my suggestion is to make that you them as raised beds, as and where possible, as this will make working them easier. The ideal width is about 3 feet, that is to say, about 1 meter. This way you can work the bed from either side without ever having to step on it, thus compacting the soil.

In addition to this, when utilizing the patio or other similar space for growing food crops work in tiers. There are some ready made solutions that you can purchase and we shall have a look at those, I hope, by way of a product review,m in the not too distant future. However, there are also solutions that you could make yourself.

One would be to use a solution that would look like the picnic table with benches attached that you can often see outside Public Houses and such. A structure like that give you more that one layer as to where to grow the food crops and you thereby can increase you growing area.

Well, now don't let me stop you starting the smallholding life by keeping you here at the computer reading my little essay. Go out there and do it.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008

Bulldog Bypass Pruning Shears BD3152 – Product Review

Rollins Bulldog have been making quality tools for gardening and agriculture for well over 200 years by now and most of those tools are still forged at Bulldog's Clarington Forge in Wigan.

The pair of bypass pruning shears, that I have the pleasure in reviewing here, are from the Premier Range, and came to me via a press pack from the 2008 Garden Press Event that was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster at the end of January 2008, are no exception here. They are a quality tool at a very reasonable price. At around GBP 13 these quality pruners certainly are not expensive.

The blades are forget from high carbon SK-5 Japaneses steel and the handles are sold aluminium into which the blades are securely bolted. The handles have green “elastomer” grips, preventing the tool slipping out of your hands.

Locking together of the handles is achieved by an old method though with modern materials, that is to say that an ABS plastic hook acts as the lock at the bottom of the handles, locking the pruners safely and secure.

The spring is of the common “caterpillar” kind which is, unfortunately, often prone to jumping out and getting lost. This problem is overcome, as it would appear, on the BD3152 pruners in that the ends of the spring has been recessed rather deep into the handles and I should think that it is nigh on impossible for the spring to jump out on its own without help.

The BD3152 pruners appear very well made and well thought out, as are all Bulldog tools, and should give years of faithful service at a great value price. The length of service obviously depends greatly on how they are used or abused and treated or mistreated during and especially also after work. This often makes or breaks a tool.

Pros:
High carbon steel blades, forged
Bladed bolted into handles
Solid aluminium handles with rubberized grips
Safe and secure locking mechanism
Value for money price

Cons:
Still trying to find any.

The BD3152 Bypass Pruning Shears from Bulldog are equally well suited, in my opinion, for the professional gardener as well as the allotment gardener or the amateur at home.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008

The Storm Kettle – Product Review

Originally, the Storm Kettle was handmade in Ireland - often by travellers who produced them in copper - for fishermen, itinerant workers and tourists. John Grindlay, who with his wife owns and runs the Eydon Kettle Company, modified the design and implemented modern manufacturing techniques in the early 1960’s.

John Grindlay borrowed an original copper kettle and took it to England during the winter. Tooling was manufactured and the first 10 kettles eventually produced. These were very quickly sold for £10 each in 1979, the assembly work being carried out by Mr Grindlay’s children who were then 8 years and 10 years old. Popular demand meant that production had to increase. Since 1979 the numbers sold have substantially increased each year.

Mainly these Kettles, whether sold in the UK, Germany, or elsewhere, are used by sportsmen, holiday makers, expedition organisers and outdoor enthusiasts. They have even accompanied the explorer John Blashford-Snell, while he was searching for signs of early civilisations on a trip to Central America.

Nowadays they can be found in the Solomon Isles helping remote islanders boil water to purify it, in remote parts of Southern Africa, where dried cattle dung is used by the Zulus as fuel, or in the Sahara Desert on expeditions.

I am always amazed though that they never seem to have found a take up by the still travelling Romani in the UK and elsewhere. The Storm Kettle does away with the need for a fire for just the purpose of brewing a cup of tea or coffee or even for the making of some other hot beverage.

Using a Storm Kettle means you can boil water easily, in the wettest and windiest of weather, both rapidly and safely. They are also environmentally friendly as you only need a sheet of newspaper and a handful of twigs as fuel. So the simplicity of the Kettle ensures that boiling water is always available, without the need to use gas, petrol or any other artificial fuel.

Storm Kettles come in two sizes, the Original and the Popular. The Original will boil up to 2.5 pints (approx. 1.5 litres) the Popular up to 2 pints (approx. one litre) – that should ensure more than enough hot water is available for you within minutes - at any time.

The water boils rather quickly and can be kept going by just adding further small sticks into the fire that is going in the burner beneath the kettle via the “chimney”.

One word of warning even though it is mentioned more than once in the literature and also on a sticker on the kettle itself: NEVER EVER use it with the cork in place. While the cork is very handy for carrying the kettle with water in it when heating the water the cork must be taken out of the spout.

The Storm Kettle & the cook set that nowadays is available for it is the ideal kit for forestry workers, countryside conservators, and other such like, such as Parks & Countryside Ranger, especially those working on maintenance tasks away from the main base.

While the Storm Kettle and accessories do not come cheap I can but recommend them.

The Prices for the kettles are: £43.00 for the Popular and £44.50 for the Original. Prices include V.A.T. and carriage.

Reviewed by Michael Smith (Veshengro), February 2008

This Blessed Plot

It could be said that the British, aside from, as often referred to, as being a nation of shopkeepers (and do we really have that many shops?), are a nation of horticulturists.

If it is not a plot at home, the garden around the house, or such, then it is an allotment and many even who have a garden at home still hanker after an allotment, especially as a place where to grow food. And some even fulfill this by having one or even two an allotments where to do just that.
I believe that in respect to the allotment only one country probably can surpass Britain and that is Germany with its “Schrebergartenkultur”, the “Allotment Culture”. Entire colonies – and they call them thus – exist in many areas of Germany with garden sheds that are often more like little log cabins and small houses, like country retreats – often in the very cities, such as in Berlin – little Dachas, where families even live for much of the summer.

An allotment garden can be, as far as I am concerned, on allotment areas proper, but it can also be a part of one's garden at home.

Aside from that one could have a clandestine allotment or two squirreled away somewhere in woods or field. This would fall under the category of “Clandestine Farming and Gardening”.

Allotments and allotment plots at home really came into their own during the “Gig For Victory” campaign in World War II when the British Isles had problems getting food in through the blockade by the German submarines.

This also showed that in these Isles we depended and once again depend too much on food from abroad, and nowadays probably even more so than then.

I mean, really, organic French beans from Kenya, flown here. Firstly, how do we know that they are “organic” and secondly, considering they get flown daily into the UK by the tons they are not at all green, despite their color, and their environmental footprint is rather enormous. This is absolutely, in my opinion, silly. Food miles and carbon footprint of the highest order. But I digressed.

With the aid of the “Gro Patio Allotment” frame a plot of your own for growing some of your greens at least can be had nearly everywhere now.

However, it is the “real” allotment (and the “allotment plot” at in a garden at home) that is the subject here.

Allotments for the people came into being in the United Kingdom in the 18th century: for example, a 1732 engraving of Birmingham, England shows the town encircled by allotments, some of which still exist to this day. Following the Inclosure Acts and the Commons Act of 1876 the land available for personal cultivation by the poor was greatly diminished. To fulfil the need for land allotment legislation was included. The law was first fully codified in the Small Holdings and Allotment Act of 1908, it was modified by the Allotments Act of 1922 and subsequent Allotments Acts up until 1950.

Under the acts a local government is required to maintain an "adequate provision" of land, usually a large allotment field which can then be subdivided into allotment gardens for individual residents at a low rent. The rent is set at what a person "may reasonably be expected to pay" (1950), in 1997 the average rent for a 10 square rods (250 m²) plot was £22 a year. Each plot cannot exceed 40 square rods (1000m²) and must be used for the production of fruit or vegetables for consumption by the plotholder and their family (1922), or of flowers for use by the plotholder and their family. The exact size and quality of the plots is not defined. The council has a duty to provide sufficient allotments to meet demand. The total income from allotments was £2.61 million and total expenditure was £8.44 million in 1997. In 2000 metrication legislation made it illegal to use square rods as a unit of pricing and allotments must now be priced in square metres.

As we can see from the provision of the various Allotment Acts the produce from such a plot, theoretically, is for consumption by the plotholder and his family only. In other words, sale of produce, theoretically, contravenes the legal provisions and, I am certain, therefore, that sale of produce would invalidate one's licence to one's plots and maybe even more than that.

However, there is allotment forestry where it would appear that allotments are used for the production of beanpoles and other small woodland items, as well as for crafts such as stick dressing, and the subsequent sale of such items produced. Such activities, when we looks at the Allotments Act would be unlawful if, I assume, carried out on land owned and provided by the local authority. On other land, and especially in one's own garden or such there is nothing that can be said against this, I should think.

Today many allotment areas have fallen prey to developers especially in the south-east of England and this is rather a sad state of affairs. The demand for ever more housing, which is not sustainable in the south-east at the rate it is going on, for ever more business parks, supermarkets, out of town, and such has caused the death of many an allotment area. Though I do also know of one allotment area in a municipal park, however, that simply was abandoned for, it would appear, lack of interest.
On the other hand the demand for allotment plots, I believe, is higher than ever and there are long waiting lists in many areas. It is many of the Asian and Afro-Caribbean families that hanker after plots where to grow their own and often rather exotic vegetables can be seen growing on plots up and down the country, such as Okra, etc.
It was his father;s allotment that instilled in Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones the wish to become a farmer and today “The Black Farmer” is a well-known brand in this country.

We need more allotments rather than fewer as we must look at food more at a local level, and to growing much of our own needs again.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), February 2008

GROWING ONE'S OWN STOOL

Christopher Cattle

A retired lecturer in furniture design, in the mid eighties I started to wonder what contribution I could make to the 'save the planet ' debate. Settling on the problem of our seemingly ever increasing demand for energy, I decided to see what one could do to reduce the amount used to make furniture. An early decision was to concentrate on the use of wood, an attractive and popular material, and biodegradable.

I was aware of the annual races for solar powered vehicles run in Australia, which attracted such elaborate and complex vehicles. Suddenly it struck me that of course tree growth is also solar powered! The energy we use to make furniture is simply that required to convert trees into the forms we use for our chairs and tables. If only the trees could be persuaded to grow into the right shapes in the first place . . . .

But people have been training and grafting trees to shape since we know not when, so no new skills are required. To grow furniture would simply involve using well known techniques for a different purpose.

To prove that it could be done however, I would have to do it myself, so I designed the simplest item of furniture I could devise, a three legged stool. I also devised a simple plywood frame or jig, on which to train the saplings as they grew. (Having practised as a designer of furniture for industrial production for the first half of my professional career, I was having to start from scratch.) In 1995 I approached the School of Plant Sciences at the University of Reading with my scheme. They rented me a suitable small plot of land and with their help, I planted and grew my first batch of stools. Five years later I harvested my first grown stool frame.

Having shown that it could be done, where was I to go from there. Should I go into business and sell them?

I decided that the outcome nearest to my original intention was rather to publicise the idea, and to enable others to grow such stools. In this way I hope to persuade people - particularly the younger generation - to change their mindset, and realise that it is possible to achieve useful and practical results simply by the intelligent use of natural processes.

Over recent years I have promoted the idea in a variety of ways. The experiment originally received wide coverage in the press both in Britain and abroad. Each year I attend several relevant public events in Britain, from exhibitions in London to environmental gatherings in Scotland. The stools were exhibited at Expo 2005 in Japan and more recently in Paris. I have been interviewed for the radio in the UK, USA and Canada.

I have a website ( www.grown-furniture.co.uk ) and anyone can buy the flat pack plywood jig and instructions. Stool growing has proved popular for young families and the kits are frequently in demand as Christmas presents for retired parents. (You can be sure they haven't got one of these!) All you need is the enthusiasm, the patience, and a local supplier of suitable 'whips' or young saplings. Nature does most of the work, and as she's been doing it for millions of years she's pretty good at it.

I recommend Sycamore as a suitable species, as it tends to grow and graft well. The whips are normally sold in bundles of twenty five, so you have a good chance to select three (or multiples of three) which are evenly matched, and slim enough to be bent and trained well. They should preferably be no thicker than a traditional wooden pencil. The kit comes with a planting guide which enables you to plant your saplings accurately, so that they fit snugly to the corners of the jig. With gentle persuasion the stems can be carefully bent to shape and secured to the jig with plant ties. If you can plant in November or December it gives the roots a chance to establish themselves before the Spring, but any time up to the end of February has proved satisfactory.

By about the third year you should be able to make the lower grafts where the stems touch. Cutting away the bark and the green cambial layer beneath it at the point of contact , you must hold them gently but firmly together for a few weeks. This can be done by binding or drilling through and inserting a rivet of some sort. If the graft bonds well, the sap will start to take the shortest route between the leaves and the roots, and each 'leg' - the lower half of which consists of one tree with the upper half of its neighbour - will start to grow as one, while the horizontal sections - joining the legs at their mid point and becoming the 'rails' - will cease to grow and remain at their existing size.
Although it will probably be about five years before the frame grows to its required size, the time you spend tending it will be minimal. I expect to spend less than five minutes on each frame every three weeks during the growing season.

Before 'harvesting' your frame, you should decide whether you prefer the 'rustic' look, by retaining the bark, or the perhaps a more elegant look by stripping it off. If you choose rustic you should harvest in the winter when the tree is dormant . If you harvest when the tree is actively growing, it is quite easy to strip off the bark. The thickness of the legs is such that any splitting as the wood dries out shouldn't be a problem, but it should be left to 'season' naturally, out of doors but under cover for about a further year. You can then give it a top of your choice and sit on it!

Greenfingers to get 100,000 children gardening – and raises £80,000

The Greenfingers Appeal is to repeat its hugely successful 'Schools Sunflower Challenge' in 2007, having broken all records last season by encouraging a stunning 100,000 children from 750 UK schools to grow sunflowers for themselves. The project also raised a tremendous £60,000 for UK Children's Hospice gardens and participating schools.

Sponsored by B&Q and with seeds donated by Thompson and Morgan, the Sunflower Challenge is a combined educational and fund-raising initiative that brings gardening into the classroom and the home.

Income from the scheme is split 50:50 between the schools and the Greenfingers Appeal. Last year the Appeal was able to direct some £30,000 towards the provision of new gardens in UK Children's hospices.

Endorsed by celebrity gardener Tommy Walsh the project, now in its fourth year, provides free sunflower seeds and a comprehensive teacher's pack showing how the 'Sunflower Challenge' complements the National Curriculum 'Life Processes and Living Things' section. Children grow the sunflowers at home or at school, observing and recording their progress and learning from the experience.

Hints and tips for growing the seeds successfully, a growth chart and sponsorship forms are included, and the children are encouraged to obtain sponsors from friends and families who pledge an amount for each centimetre of the sunflowers final height when measured at the end of the summer term.

Mrs C Hopgood, Deputy Headteacher, South Norwood Primary School, commented:

'This has been the most successful class fund-raising/sponsorship activity that the school has ever done. Just four classes of 4-6 year olds took part, with one six year old boy raising the sum of £161:00 himself and several others raising well above £40:00 apiece. The Sunflower Challenge fitted in perfectly and certainly caught the children's imagination as evidenced by the magnificent response.'

The Greenfingers Appeal is the charity of the gardening industry and is currently raising funds to build much-needed gardens at children's hospices. Last year the Appeal raised more than £160,000 for the provision of new and improved gardens. Twenty-four projects have so far been completed or are underway, out of the 42 Children's Hospices in the UK running or under construction.

The Garden Press Event 2008

On Tuesday, January 29, 2008 I had the great privilege and pleasure to attend the Garden Press Event 2008 at the RHS Lawrence Hall in Vincent Square, Westminster, London, and a most productive day was had, at least by this writer, and some new – new to me at least – products have been obtained for review, which shall be coming soon.

To begin with I would here like to express my sincere thanks to Neil Gow of GIMA for inviting me to this great event.

Then my thanks goes to Frank Foot of Rollins Bulldog Tools Ltd. who took the time to talk to me and to invite me to contact him for review samples, an invite that I may be able take up in the not too distant future. The press pack that I was given contained a very nice pair of bypass pruners of the Premier Range and for a recommended retail price of just over £12 this definitely is a real nice solid made tool. The head and blade is of high-carbon steel SK-5 and identified as Japanese steel, which, having dealt in knives before professionally, is a very good carbon steel, so it should withstand a great deal of use. The problem with most people is always abuse rather than the intended use that damages their tools and also the fact that they do not look after their tools. Carbon steel does want a little TLC after use, such as keeping the blades oiled and greased.

Special thanks must go to Richard Hayter of Bahco (SNA Europe) and Rachel Collinge, SNA Europe's PR agent, for for taking the time out for a rather lengthy chat and for providing me with two product samples for review; the reviews of which shall be forthcoming soon.

A fine number of gardening-related manufacturers, growers, seed companies, suppliers and vendors supported this event held in aid of the “Greenfingers Appeal”.

Ball Colegrave, the well-known seed and plant company, showcased their range of “Kinder Garden Plants”, the range that is intended to introduce children to the pleasures of gardening. Aside from flowers there is also a fruit and veg part to this range, which is very nice to see. This could be very useful in introducing children at a young age to the growing of produce for the table.

A couple of new and relatively new products could be seen, of which the “Waspinator” and the “Plant Minder” do stand out to a degree and above all what caught my attention was the “Patio Grow”, which could be described as “your allotment on your patio” or, if more than one unit be employed, “in your backyard”, by “Gro Garden Products".

One of the other products that caught my attention was the Greenhouse Sensation's “Grow Your Own Portable Garden”. This is a brilliant piece of kit and definitely something that many people who would like to grow some of their own greens and such in locations without green areas, and even in apartments, and such like, have been waiting for.

Other products on show included another number of innovative products. One was the new and revolutionary “Chambermate”, by Chambermate Ltd. The “Chambermate” is the solution to the age-old problem of how to cover, without asking for problems later, the unsightly manhole covers in gardens, diveways and borders. Another the Backsaver Digging from Backsaver Garden Tools Ltd. in Leeds. While this may just be seen as yet another automatic spade it would appear to be quite a little different in its action and speed. Well worth a look.

Some of the products that I have seen shall, hopefully, be featured in the pages of this journal in the near future, including a couple of product reviews, as already indicated.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), Jan/Feb 2008