Gardening Christmas gift ideas

We love gardens and anything to do with gardening and with Christmas now approaching, we thought we would help you find some garden Christmas gifts that any green fingered person will love!

Which.co.uk have complied a special list of gardening Christmas gifts, which should help you find a gift for even the fussiest of people.

Town & Country Weedmaster Floral Gloves

These gloves promise to be lightweight and flexible, with enough resilience for weeding. Made from 100% cotton with a protective nitrile coating on the palm to improve grip, they cope well with fiddly tasks such as planting seeds.

Spear & Jackson 6758GS Geared Anvil Secateurs

More and more secateurs and other cutting tools are being made with ratchets and gears to require less effort when pruning. These Spear & Jackson Geared Anvil Secateurs,  promise lasting sharpness and easier cutting. Every gardener needs a pair of good secateurs and we've tried out 13 in our tests.

Harrod Horticultural Slot & Lock Connectors

Harrod Horticultural claims its Slot & Lock Connectors firmly grip aluminium tubing to allow you to create a sturdy frame of any shape, to protect fruit and vegetables or support climbing plants. These connectors won the Product of the Year Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 and are ideal for anyone with an allotment.

Joseph Bentley JBY0211 Stainless Steel Digging Fork

No vegetable grower should be without a good garden fork and the length of this one will suit most people. It looks great, too. If you're buying for someone smaller or taller than average, check out our full reviews of digging forks to find the ideal one for them.

Haws 8 Litre Slimcan

A modern version of a traditional metal model, this watering can is quite heavy but well balanced. The single handle for carrying and tipping is smooth and comfortable. The spout is long and easy to control with or without the rose and, thanks to the large top hole, filling is easy from a tap or by dipping in a tank (you can get your hand inside for cleaning, too). We've tested this and other watering cans on seedings and flowerbeds so you can find the best one to give for Christmas.

Darlac Children’s Bamboo Garden Tools

With bamboo handles and coated carbon-steel heads, these children’s tools are well finished and robust. Each piece has been hand welded so that the tools are strong and durable. We take a look at the Darlac Children's Bamboo Garden Tools and reveal what our four-year-old helper thought of them.

Trio Top Electric Windowsill Propagator

While windowsills can often provide ideal light conditions for successful propagation, they can also be cool and draughty. This compact electric propagator is supplied with three high-dome propagators, each 23cm long by 17cm wide. We've tested seven propagators so you can find just the right one for a gift. 

All information taken from and provided by Which? 

How to protect your vegetable garden from the frost

Britain is set to face a big freeze over the next couple of days and we are told this could continue throughout December, with temperatures as low as -20c! If you are planning on keeping your vegetable garden alive and thriving, throughout the winter and cold weather but are worried your crops will be ruined by the frost, help is at hand. 

Cover your vegetables

The most common way of protecting your vegetable garden is by covering them with some type of material. Any material can be used, such as old blankets and sheets. Lightweight material can be draped directly on top of the plants, however if you use a heavyweight material this will need to be supported, to prevent your vegetable from being crushed. Secure your covering with stakes, rocks or bricks. Covers should only be placed on at night and removed in the morning, to allow your plants to breathe. Card board boxes are also a good at covering your vegetables, again don’t forget to remove these in the morning.

Mulch

Mulch is great at insulating your plants from the cold, as it helps to lock in moisture and holds in heat. A depth of 2 to 3 inches should be sufficient and you can use items such as straw, pine needles and leaves.

Water

Watering your vegetables a few days before frost is due to hit, is another way of helping your vegetables see out the frost, this is because wet soil can hold more heat than dry soil. Make sure you only water the plants lightly before the temperature drops.

Containers and pots

Anything you have growing in a container or pot should be brought into a garden shed, garage or greenhouse if possible. If the containers are small enough, why not take them inside. If they cannot be moved, wrap the containers in bubble wrap to help keep them insulated. Burying the pot in soil is another good way of keeping your container vegetables insulated.

Cold frames

Cold frames are a transparent- roofed enclosure for growing vegetables and plants in, while protecting them from harsh weather conditions.  Cold frames provide air and soil temperature insulation, as well as shelter from the wind. Using cold frames is a good away to protect your vegetables from frost. And help them survive the winter.

If you are growing vegetables this winter, this advice and tips should help to keep your vegetables alive and thriving. 

Preparation for your winter garden

 Here are a few tips to help you through the winter season.

Clean up           

Be sure to remove weeds and annuals from your garden. On shrubs and trees, remove diseased leaves, but pruning is not recommended.

Cut back perennials

These should be cut back to 6 to 8 inches above the ground. These will keep your garden looking neat and tidy and save a lot of hard work in the spring.

Get mulching

Mulching protects plants from the drastic temperature change that winter brings and insulated them against the cold.  Mulch can be made up of dried leaves, pine needles, shredded bark etc and 4 to 6 inches is sufficient.

Winter proof containers

This can be done by wrapping bubble around the containers and covering the soil with mulch.

Prepare new ground

Winter is the ideal time to dig over new beds and boarders, ready for spring sowing. This can be done as long as the ground isn’t frozen or water logged.

Clean and store tools

Clean out old pots and seed trays ready for the spring. Clean and sharpen tools and store in a dry place for winter. If your shed is leaky, this water can ruin your gardening tools and other equipment., make sure your shed is in a good condition for the winter weather. If you are looking for a new shed Asgard has a wide range all made from weatherproof steel to protect stored items.