damhead nursery news

Grow Your Own Vegetable Course

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:32:50 +0000

In April we held a ‘Grow Your Own Vegetable’ course at the Nursery. Vegetable expert Jim Williams from the National Vegetable Society talked about the delights of growing your own food, how to establish a kitchen garden and pick up simple tips to get started, whether you have a large overgrown plot, small patch or a window box. He covered topics such as seed sowing, getting the best out of your greenhouse, pests, diseases and treatment, types and best varieties of vegetables, crop rotation and soil preparation. Afterwards we ventured into the nursery for a hands-on practical exercise in seed sewing etc.

The course was well attended, the weather was great and the cakes and coffee much appreciated.

More courses to follow – keep a lookout on the website.

Future Courses

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:14:12 +0000

We hope to be holding other courses throughout 2010 so keep checking the website for information and course dates.

How is your garden in winter?

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:06:56 +0000

In November garden designer June Tainsh of Greenweaver gave an afternoon talk entitled ‘Your Garden in Winter’ where attendees learned how to plan a garden so that it looks good all year round and what plants give you the most value and interest during the winter months. After the talk we all ventured into the poly tunnel to try our hand at planting up a winter container. With cake and coffee abundant it was an afternoon enjoyed by all.

Barbecue and Open Day 2009

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:23:48 +0000

Our annual Barbecue and Open Day was on Friday September 11th. The weather was great and we enjoyed burgers and wine while chatting to our customers and friends. We had a great turnout with sale stock being exceptionally popular with our customers.

Schools/Community projects

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:25:02 +0000

We are pleased to currently be supplying a number of schools in Scotland with very competitively priced trees, fruit and vegetables as part of the Global Eco-Schools project or indeed for in-school projects which endeavor to interest and instruct children in growing and harvesting food.

We would be pleased to send you a list of fruit and vegetables ready for delivery and planting should this be of interest. We can also offer design or horticultural advice should this be required. If you think we might be able to assist you in any way please get in touch.

New for 2009 – Air-Pots

admin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:08:15 +0000

The Scottish-made Superoots Air-Pot is a recyclable, reusable plastic container that actively enhances the quality of the root systems of plants. This revolutionary approach to containerising tree stock produces fabulous, non-spiraling root systems that are impossible to develop in any other available container. Made of recycled HDPE, (as in old milk cartons) the Superoots Air-Pot is circular in shape with a perforated sidewall, which is textured like an egg carton. There are no flat surfaces to deflect roots and start the spiraling process.

The inward pointing cones direct the root towards the hole in the outward pointing cones where the air density in the soil is too great and therefore the apical cells at the very tip of the root dehydrate, or are air-pruned. The response of the plant to this air-pruning is to send out more roots to compensate for the loss, which leads to the build up of a dense and fibrous radial root system in a dramatically short time. Superoots Air-Pots can be made to any diameter in a variety of heights and can be used as pots complete with base or without a base.

We have a selection of Scottish grown Air-pot trees and shrubs available at the Nursery and a wide selection available to order. Please contact us and we can provide you with a quotation for your requirements.

The Cutting Patch with Sarah Raven

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:09:58 +0000

In late November we were delighted to have BBC’s well known plant expert Sarah Raven come to Edinburgh to host a day course on ‘The Cutting Patch’. Almost 50 people attended to learn about creating their own cutting garden which would allow harvesting of flowers for the majority of the year. Emphasis was placed on growing your own and making the most of whatever space you have available. Sarah brought her shop with her and Damhead Nursery had a selection of plants and Christmas wreaths available.

The event was very informative and we have had a terrific response from all attendees.

We look forward to the opportunity to have Sarah back again sometime in the future – watch our News page for further details.