My containers had grapes in. I try to buy unpackaged fruit but these were a gift.

Re-cycle containers to germinate seeds

Other containers you can use are often sold with cakes in and have a hinged lid.
Mine have some holes in the bottom so before I fill one with compost I line it with newspaper.

It is good to have drainage holes but line with newspaper to prevent the compost going through

Then fill with moist compost and firm gently, this means tap the compost with your fingers flat, you don’t want it to be solid but also you don’t want big air pockets.

Use your fingers to press gently on the compost

Water your compost if it is a little dry. I use a spray as you don’t want it too wet.

Moisten compost with a spray, moist not saturated

Cabbage seeds ready to sow

Can you see the seeds?

A thin layer of compost or vermiculite

Water well again!

Invert the other container to make a mini-green greenhouse.

Make a label for your seedlings.

Babs Beetroot gives us her top tips on growing plants from cuttings.

“Imagine being able to cut a limb off, an arm or a leg, plant it in water and watch a new person grow from it. As a human this sounds crazy. However with some plants you can cut off part of the living stem and with a bit of care and patience you can grow a new plant. While a human would need to go to hospital if they cut an arm or a leg off, if you are careful when taking a cutting from a plant it will remain healthy. I would recommend asking people before you take a cutting from their favourite plant, most people say yes, and then within a year you’ll have your very own.”



Using a Propagator to grow cuttings

Order your Secret Seed Propagator Kit
Make an upcycled propagator from old packaging

• Growing time 2-4 weeks.
• Fill your pots with a light moist seed compost.
• Avoid composts which contain peat, they aren’t good for the environment.
• Scatter seeds densely in each pot.
• For example seeds per 2cm pot: rocket 15, radish 10, peas 4.
• Cover the seeds with compost and firm gently.
• Water well.
• Put on the lid and leave in a sunny place.
• When they are 3-5cm tall cut from the stem.
• To plant more, just sprinkle new seeds on top and cover with compost.

Micro-greens are nutritious and make your cooking look pretty.
Order your Secret Seed Propagator Kit

But how can I protect my plants?

It’s simple!  You can make your very own ‘Cloche’!

OK, but what exactly is a Cloche?

A Cloche is something used as a cover and placed over plants.

Cloche’s act like mini-greenhouses – they collect warmth from the sun during the day which warms the soil and keeps it warm at night.  This is how Cloche’s stop plants getting too cold when the temperature falls at night time. Clever eh?!

That is clever!  So how do I make my own Cloche?

The best way to make your own Cloche is to reuse any recycled glass or plastic jars and bottles that you may have.  Using something that is see-through is important because the soil under the Cloche needs light to help the plant grow.

Remember: the number of cloche’s you need to make depends on how much room you have to grow your seeds.

I used an empty jam jar, a plastic cup, an empty bottle of squash and an empty bottle of water.  I thought I would try different ideas see which worked the best. Keep a look out for see-through containers that could be recycled.

Making your Cloche:

1. Wash and remove any labels.

If you are using jars or cups that already have an open end then you can go to the next stage – ‘Prepare Your Garden’.  If you are using a plastic bottle you have just one more thing to do before it is ready for the garden.

 2. When you have washed and dried your bottle, you will need to get yourself a Grown-Up who can cut off the top with scissors.

Prepare Your Garden:

3. Now you’re ready to get planting! Make sure the soil is loose using a trowel or fork.

4. Next, place your Cloche’s upside and push them down into the soil so that you have made a circle mark – this is the area that you will plant your seeds in!

Plant Your Seeds:

5. Pour a few of your chosen seeds into the palm of your hand so that you don’t have too many all in one go.  Scatter them all over the circle and cover with a half centimetre layer of soil and firm down with your hand. If the soil is dry give them a sprinkle of water.

6. Finally, place your home-made Cloche’s back over the circle and push down hard so that they are firmly in the ground.  Now your seeds will be nice and snug and ready to start growing!

Remember: Your seeds will still need plenty of water to stop the soil drying out.

If you don’t make a cloche many seeds can be started off in a pot on a sunny windowsill.

Don’t forget to send us a picture of your homemade cloches! You can write to us at: Seed H.Q, Studio 013, Netil House, 1a Westgate Street, London E8 3RL. Or you can email us here.

We all know the story of James and the Giant Peach but this is the story of Jamie and the Giant Bean! This bean is 29 inches long.

Jamie’s dad Kevin does a lot of Giant Veg growing and as Jamie grows up his Dad is sharing his secrets with him and this is the result.

Do you want to know how to grow a super long runner bean here are Kevin’s secrets.

My longest runner bean so far

A few days later I thought it looked fully grown so I snapped it off and brought it up the house to measure it.
It was over 31cm!

If you want your beans to grow really long follow our Expert Grower’s tips.

Here are our top tips to help you identify pests and protect plants with environmentally friendly and economical ammunition.

If you spend your time sowing, watering and looking after plants we think it’s only fair that you get to eat some of the garden too.

Creepy crawlies are important to keeping your garden healthy so before you point a finger of blame at every creepy crawly in your garden check out our guide.

Some creatures are very popular with gardeners, like worms and bees, while slugs and caterpillars are the least popular. But, without caterpillars there would be no beautiful butterflies and without slugs hedgehogs would be hungry. Here’s some tips on how to play your part in creating a balanced ecosystem and preventing the bugs from eating ALL your food. Here’s how?

Each crop has its own enemy. So Seed Agents here is your mission:

Click on the images below for tips of how best to protect your veg patch!

Protect your Plants

Confuse your Pests

Pick Off Pests

Other Ammunition

Let us know how you got on by sending in a photo of your Secret Seed Agent work in action!

Send it either by e-mail to: fun[at]secretseedsociety.com or by post to: Green House, 26a Boat Horse Lane, Crick, Northampton NN6 7TH.

Do you think you can grow the longest bean this Summer?

Here is what to do:

Search out some runner bean seeds, did you save some from last year? Or has your family or neighbour got a few?

FREE SEEDS!

Our friends at Big Barn Stores are supporting the competition by giving you free seeds.

Look on the map for the rosette on the icon

It couldn’t be easier. To find your local seed supplier, go to Big Barn, type in your post code and look for the rosette on icons on the BigBarn local food map. Give them a call to make sure they are participating and wonder along and ask (politely) for your free seed!

Here’s some helpful hints:

• Runner beans like to grow indoors during May. Keep them warm and moist and you will see them start to poke through.
• At the end of May erect some poles in a sunny position for the plants to grow up. Each plant can share a pole with one other plant. If you make wigwam with your poles they’ll keep firm.
• Carefully plant out your bean plants. Dig a hole a little bigger than the plant next to a pole. Place your bean seedling in, fill around with soil and press down gently.
• Look after your plants, if the weather turns cold at night wrap them in newspaper or fleece.
• Water them if there is no rain
• Feed them with chicken manure, worm cast or homemade compost
• As they grow train them up the poles… there are always one or two who twirl around another beans pole or just swish around in the air, be gentle and show them where to go.
• Still stuck? For more tips click here.

Beans need bees

• The bees pollinate the flowers so that they become beans. Encourage bees into your garden with wild flowers.

When to pick

At first your beans will not be that long but they will be very tasty so eat them up. The more you pick the more you will get. Keep watering and feeding, watering and feeding.

Growing a long one

Wow, Here's a long runner bean.

• Don’t let all your beans grow long, because your poor plant will be exhausted. Choose one or two to let grow long.
• When you see a really, really long one keep your eye on it (you don’t want Mum, Dad or your greedy Gran to pick it and eat it when you’re not looking).
• When you think it has grown as long as it can grow (you will just begin to see the beans bulging inside) very carefully cut it off.
• Here are the record breaking stats but we don’t expect anything this long!

Take a picture

• Put your very long bean next to a ruler and take a photo showing just how long it is and send it to fun@secretseedsociety.com with your name age and address.

The Prize.

The winners will have a choice of an ‘Unlocked Guide Book, Don’t be boring….Go Exploring’ in London, Edinburgh, The Lake District or Bristol and Bath. These great books are full of fun activities for children (and we were inspired to make some visits as well!)

Rules.

• Beans should be grown by children under 12 years (with a little help)
• Closing date 31/10/12
• All photos sent may be used by Secret Seed Society on any of their media.

Mark's runner bean flowers need the bees to form beans

Mark Ridsdill Smith is also called the Vertical Gardener (not because he is very tall but because he is an expert in gardening in a small space which means growing vertically). Here are his tips to help you win the Giant Bean Competition.

1. Runners grow best with lots of water – so use a large pot (easier to keep well watered) or a container with a water reservoir (like an Earthbox)

2. They need pollinating by bees – so it can be fun and beneficial to grow some insect attracting flowers nearby.

Are your beans buzzing with bees?

3. Slugs love runner bean seedlings. You can protect with small home made cloches – cut empty drink bottles in half and put one over each seedling.

4. You can buy runners with both orange or white flowers. Mixing the two can look really pretty.

5. Runners need a good tall support to climb up – like a wigwam. If you can find tall branches, they can look much prettier than canes.

Mark tends his runner beans

6. When the runners reach the top of the canes, pinch out the tops (this means cutting the very tip off). This will encourage the plant to send out more shoots – and beans – below.

7. Pick, pick, pick. It’s very important to keep picking running beans – as this encourages the plant to grow more. Pick the beans small for a delicious, tender treat (big beans look cool but can be rather tough to eat).

8. To boost your crop, feed with liquid tomato food once every two or three weeks after the plant starts flowering.