Gardening yearbook

Top tips and techniques from the

National Blind Gardeners’ Club
Here are some of the best short tips selected from Come
Gardening, the magazine of the National Blind Gardeners’
Club, and from entries to the Thrive/RNIB Blind Gardener
of the Year competition. Arranged month-by-month, there
are ideas from inventive gardeners from all over the UK to
take you through the year.

Here are some top tips to consider before you start gardening:

Top tips for getting ready

• If you are just starting to garden with sight loss, you might find it
useful to get to know you garden better by walking around it at
different times of day until you are familiar with it.
• Always manage your part of the garden yourself. If you need some
help, ask for it for that job, then carry on working alone. This way,
you’ll become a much more confident gardener.
• People with sight loss can sometimes find it difficult to find their way
back to where they were in the garden. One idea is to use an RNIB
sound beacon, or take a small radio with you and leave it on while
you are working.
• A washing line can also be a useful point of reference in the garden
and can act as a guide to help you know where you are.
• Think about the job you’re going to do and plan what will make it
easier for you. It might be as simple as making sure you have a
kneeler or a stool or seat to work from or take rests.
• Get all the tools you’ll need together to save trips back and forth to
the shed or garage. Try and keep your storage area tidy and you’ll
be able to find your tools more easily.

2
Top tips for taking care
• Take time to warm up first with some simple bending and stretching
exercises to loosen up your muscles and you will be less likely to
strain yourself.
• On very cold days, it might be worth waiting until the air warms up
before you begin, or start work in a sunny area first.
• Stick to one job at a time, and have breaks – with a warm or cold
drink according to the weather. Stop work before you get too tired.
• If you find it difficult to carry things, you might need to base your
activities near the house or the place you keep your gardening
equipment.
• Keep a basic first aid kit close by in case of minor injuries in the
garden.

3
Contents

The tips for each month have been selected with the food garden, the
flower garden and tools and equipment in mind. Colours have been
used to group the months by the seasons: green for spring, yellow for
summer, red for autumn and blue for the winter months.

January – ideas for planning the garden, from layout to new

ways of growing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
February – more planting ideas, labelling and sowing aids . . . . . . 9
March – seed spacing techniques, succession, and vegetable
and flower suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
April – plants, planning, labelling and layout solutions . . . . . . . . 17
May – more crops and flowers, weeding and watering . . . . . . . . 21
June – mowing guides, pollination, dead-heading . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
July – checking plants, mulching, watering, tool maintenance . . 29
August – autumn sowing, late bloomers, tool ideas . . . . . . . . . . 33
September – harvesting, preparation for winter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
October – tidying, storing, planting, safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
November – protection, division, planting and moving plants. . . 45
December – winter flowers, seed saving, tool buys and
planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Further information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
The National Blind Gardeners’ Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

4 Contents
January

Take stock of last year and make plans for any helpful changes in
garden layout, bearing in mind safety and ease of use. Look at new
ways of growing – and investigate new plants for the food and
flower garden.

January 5
The food garden
New ways to grow vegetables
Andrea Gordon, of Swansea, says: I grow strawberries and tomatoes
in hanging baskets which I find keeps slugs away, and I also have a lot
of herbs in pots. I’m trying wild rocket as useful ground cover between
my roses. Andrea came joint second in the Blind Gardener of the Year
competition 2008.
Use your hands
Iain Wallace of Glasgow adds: since losing my sight completely in
2003 I had to do away with my vegetable plot and used raised beds
and containers instead. These don’t require any tools – it is all done
by hand. My top tip is not to use tools as they can be lost – use your
hands instead.
Easier walking
Robert Ford, who gardens at the MacIntyre Learning Centre, Cheshire,
writes: our project has many raised beds surrounded by bark mulch.
I prefer this because I have trouble walking on the uneven ground of
open beds.
Planting guides
Robert adds: I use planting boards as a guide; they have holes cut into
them so that I can space plants properly and sow seeds evenly. When
sowing seeds I mix them with silver sand to make them easier to
spread. For small seeds I use a shaker.

6 January
The flower garden
Cyclamen coum
To add to the usual early spring colour palette of white, yellow and
blue flowering plants from bulbs, there’s always crocus to add a
splash of purple. And why not try Cyclamen coum, which is one of the
most remarkable of all hardy bulbs. It is actually a corm and it is best
to buy them in flower in the early spring so that you can select the
colours. These can be any shade from white spotted with purple,
through various shades of pink, to deep crimson. Plants are small and
produce dozens of flowers that are unaffected by frost and look like
jewels when poking through the snow. Cyclamen coum thrives in most
soils and will grow in sun or shade.
Witch Hazel
In winter, witch hazel has spidery, scented flowers that burst from
the bare branches. Depending on variety, flowers can be yellow, red,
copper or orange. In the autumn, the red/gold leaves extend the
colour from September through the depths of winter, into spring.
Mark edges with bold planting
Pauline Kontani, from London, sent this tip for readers with some
vision: to mark the edge of a path, plant yellow primulas for winter and
spring and choose herbaceous plants in colours that you are able to
see, planted further back in the bed.
Forward planning
Andrea Gordon advises: I research the right plant for a position, keep
my borders narrow enough to reach from all sides and make notes of
where seeds and bulbs are located. I keep a diary of which plants to
be aware of throughout the year, and notes to remind me to move,
prune or provide support at the right time.

January 7
Tools and tips
Safety tips
Helen Cross, of Preston, cautions: the most important element in a
blind person’s garden is safety. I had some ‘trippy-uppy’ paving flags
which were dealt with and I had hazards at eye level removed. I put a
garden chair under my pear tree to remind me to give it a wide berth
when I’m passing in a hurry, and I have a table outside my
conservatory to stop any headlong rush and tripping over the
threshold. In these matters one lives and learns!
Bright colour keeps things clear
Robert Ford suggests: use bright colours for your containers, tools
and raised beds. I find that this really helps me find the equipment
and find my way around. Our raised beds are all painted in different
colours and, as I know what is planted in each one, I can always find
the plants that I want.
Getting organised
Josephine Sykes, of North Yorkshire, has these suggestions for the
starting the gardening year positively: I bought a silver wheelbarrow
and gave away the grey one which I could never find, plus it had a
wheel that defied control! I put white tape on tool handles, trained
my brain to remember where I put things, spaced out plants so that
I could recognise them and used known measures for water in the
greenhouse.

8 January
February

Continue to plan, including what you are going to grow in the new
season. Start ordering seeds and begin your earliest sowings
indoors or under cover. Garden clearing and tidying can get under
way. If a dry spell allows, lightly mow the lawn – the grass will grow
a little through the winter.

February 9
The food garden
Growing vegetables in baskets
Mark Smith of Norwich says: this year we have found growing
vegetables in small baskets has helped a great deal, and crops such
as leeks, carrots and lettuce have grown well. The baskets we use are
approximately 30cm by 60cm and around 45cm deep, with drainage
holes and a carrying handle. The baskets are especially easy for
weeding and I don’t accidentally walk on young plants. I would also
recommend using a strawberry tub with holes in the side. The tub has
a central watering hole with slits down the pipe and this ensures that
water reaches the outer plants.
A good start for marrows
Marrows, courgettes, pumpkins and other squashes grow best in full
sun and rich, moisture-retentive soil. A good way to start them off is
to prepare the soil by digging out a pit or trench and filling it with as
much organic material as you can. You can fork in fresh manure as
well as compost – as it breaks down it will generate heat and boost
growth. Cover the organic matter with at least 15cm of soil and plant
into this after the danger of frost has passed.
Labelling seeds
Harry Wardle of Stockport, “Old Hand” Blind Gardener of the Year
2005, says: the season begins with ordering the seeds; when they
arrive, my wife reads the packets and I braille labels for the packets
and also for the sticks for the trays. For most of the vegetables I know
the planting distances, as I have grown them for so many years, but
with any new vegetables, my wife reads the planting distances out to
me and I put them on audio tape. We then put the packets into
envelopes that are brailled for each month, so I don’t have to bother
my wife all season and I can just get on with it.

10 February
The flower garden
Hanging baskets from plug plants
Andrea Gordon finds: my main challenges are limited time and energy:
I create my own hanging baskets and summer containers by growing
from plug plants in my greenhouse, but when work commitments keep
me away I find it hard to give them the consistent care they need.
Once established I use liquid feed in a watering can, and in the main
borders I use mulch to suppress weeds and top dress with well-rotted
manure in early spring.
Sweet peas in cardboard tubes
Toilet roll tubes can be used for growing sweet peas in. Once you’ve
got a good collection of tubes they can be packed tightly upright in a
seed tray and filled with compost before individual sowing. Once the
seedlings are large enough, the whole tube can be planted without
disturbing the roots. The toilet roll tube will soon rot.
Pond dilemma
Helen Cross of Preston wondered: should I keep my garden pond?
Could I maintain it? Was it a hazard? I thought hard and long, and in
the end I kept it. I have a good friend who comes along and clears the
filter for me and it’s such a pleasure not only for me, but for the fish
that follow me round in the morning looking for food, the frogs that
spawn in the spring and the birds. It adds life to the garden, and so far
I haven’t fallen in.

February 11
Tools and tips
Sowing a modular seed tray
Peter Barry of Builth Wells has these tips for sowing seed into modular
trays: I put one seed into the first module by first putting a label in and
then the seed. I do the next module the same, with label and seed,
and so on, all over the tray. When the tray is full, there is a label and
seed in each module, so I know I’ve not missed any. I remove the
labels and keep them for the next tray.
Cheap labels
A labelling idea from Vincent Robins (Robbie) of Southampton: plastic
table knives, as used by works canteens, snack bars, etc, make first-
class plant labels. Write on the handle and slip the blade into the pot
or ground. They are strong, big and free.
Safer plant sticks
Ruby Warnes of Dorset notes: one tip I have found useful is placing
old drinking yoghurt pots on top of sticks that are too wide for the
usual plastic cane toppers. When first gardening with sight loss I leant
over a stick and scratched my face, having misjudged the top.

12 December
March

Continue sowing under cover and prepare your outdoor seedbeds.

Get your beds in order with weeding, tidying, clearing and laying
mulches. Cut your lawn, on a high setting on the mower, as soon
as possible.

March 13
The food garden
Aubergines in a cold frame
Aubergines need plenty of bright sunshine, far more than crops such
as tomatoes and sweet peppers, so plant them where they will get the
maximum amount. One successful approach is to grow a few plants in
large pots in an unshaded cold frame. A great advantage in this
method is that the plants don’t tend to suffer from whitefly, which can
be more of a problem in the greenhouse.
String and peg as a spacing aid
Thanks to Peter Barry for this tip on seed sowing: use string with
elastic on the end to mark out your line for sowing seeds – and keep
it as tight as possible. Mark out the drill; use your finger so that you
can feel how deep you are making it. Get a plastic clothes peg and
clip it onto the line so that you can slide it along. Move the peg to
where you want to start the seeds from. Take a pinch of seeds, and
as you sprinkle the seeds, move the peg along with the same hand.
When you run out of seeds, stop; the peg will mark where you have
got to. Leave the line where it is until the seeds germinate and you
know where they are.
Marking where seeds are
Josephine Sykes of North Yorkshire says: when sowing a row of
seeds, I put a long cane alongside the row so that I know where to
look when the seeds grow.

14 March
The flower garden
Scented flowers
Jean Harrington of East Sussex (who won the Blind Gardener of the
Year competition 2008) suggests: I have increased the number of
plants that have a strong scent, for example: Braceospurnum jasminia
(Royal Spanish jasmine); orange blossom, hyacinths, narcissus... and
I have sweet peas in my vegetable patch.
Bright flowers
Jean adds: I choose flowers that are bright – particularly white and
yellow, as I can see these more easily – also rudbeckias and light
leaved plants like variegated buddleia.
Easy to see plantings – and ground cover
Helen Cross of Preston says: strong shapes and colours with large
well-defined plantings are much easier to see. I use ground cover
where I can, to keep down the weeds and encourage self sets in any
other spaces left. Aquilegia, golden grass, Welsh poppy and forget-
me-nots are all better than weeds and it doesn’t pay to be too picky.
I let the weeds grow until I can see them, and I can spot a dandelion
when it’s in flower and a nettle when it stings me.

March 15
Tools and tips
Measuring sticks
Dennis Jones of Newport has this recommendation: I have various
measuring sticks for different jobs: one to make the widths of rows,
another for spacing plants and a third for the vegetable garden. These
sticks are marked with white lines across them at the measuring point.
You can also put drawing pins into the lines – this provides a nice
raised bump.
Big labels
Ruby Warnes of Dorset explains: I bought 16-inch-high labels with
large, dark, oblong tops. I write on the top with a white paint pen.
This is so much easier than trying to read my writing on the usual
small white plastic labels.
Sliding plant spacer
Basil Syddall of Cheshire suggests an idea for planting out at specific
distances. Take a 6-foot length of approximately 1-inch diameter
plastic piping. Put black insulating tape around it at 12-inch spacings,
and thread it onto a garden line. Tie the line to two solid stakes at
either end of the garden where you want the line of plants to be.
Then you can plant out according to your marked distances on the
tube, sliding the tube further along as you need to. You can practically
do it by touch because you can feel the insulating tape.

16 March
April

This is the busiest time for seed sowing and beginning to plant out.
After the risk of frost is past, you will be starting to bring bedding
and other plants outside. Continue with weeding and ground
preparation, including mowing and tidying the lawn.

April 17
The food garden
Successional sowing of salad leaves
Sow a 5-inch (13cm) pot with salad leaves – or a short row in the
garden – every few weeks. Sow them thinly and evenly in pots and
cover with a thin layer of compost or vermiculite. Just open the packet
and, gently tipping the packet, tap it with your other hand. The seeds
will gradually fall out. Don’t tap the packet too hard or tip it too much
or you will get a mass of seeds falling out at once. A more precise way
– if you can manage it – is to take a pinch of seeds and allow them to
drop by rubbing the thumb and forefinger together.
Once they are growing, don’t bother to thin them out, just take a pair
of scissors and snip off the amount of leaves you need. Many of them
will grow again so you can have a number of pickings from one pot.
Just make sure you don’t let them dry out. As soon as lettuce
seedlings appear, sow the next pinch of seed to ensure succession.
You could also try some different plants to enhance the flavours.
As well as the lettuce/salad crops, try the young leaves of spinach,
beetroot, rocket, basil, coriander, fennel, Chinese greens, land cress
and many others.
Asparagus in pots
Growing asparagus in pots saves space in the veg plot, avoids
problems with perennial weeds and provides lovely feathery foliage for
the patio. April is the ideal time to plant. Make drainage holes in large
pots, plastic dustbins or storage bins and add 10cm of coarse gravel.
Fill with a 50:50 mix of garden soil and sieved home-made compost,
and plant the crowns 10cm deep. Keep well watered and apply a
general purpose feed through the season. Top-dress annually with
garden compost. You’ll still have a two to three year wait for spears,
but it will be well worth it, and easy to harvest.

18 April
The flower garden
Identifying annuals
It is sometimes difficult to recognise seedling annuals sown direct in
the garden. Sow a pinch at the same time in a pot and place it at the
end of the row as a reference for identification.
Mixed planting works well
Elizabeth Jones of London, won joint second prize in the Blind
Gardener of the Year competition 2008. She has a rear garden mainly
planted with shrubs flowering over 10 months of the year, along with
various green conifers and low growers. During the summer they are
interspersed with annuals grown in pots for colour. Elizabeth adds:
I grow a little soft fruit and vegetables including blackcurrants,
blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, tomatoes, runner beans,
cucumber, marrow and sweet pepper. These are grown around the
walls and between shrubs.
Easy clipping
Helen Cross says: I’ve discovered a craze for shrub clipping and I
have pyramids and bowls in grey, green and gold, summer and winter,
and I clip anything that can take it. I bought a Bosch shape and trim
which is a battery operated tool, no cords to cut through, and dare
I say it, a safety catch even a blind lady can use! It’s a sheer joy.

April 19
Tools and tips
Bark paths
Mark Smith also advises: in between crops I have laid weed matting
and put bark chippings on top, and as well as acting as a good tactile
orientation for my feet this also helps with keeping down the weeds
and grass.
Stepping stones
Alfreda Weir of Dunfermline suggests: I placed stepping stones down
my gravel path. I can follow the stepping stone path that I can feel
through my feet. This prevents walking into any objects and keeps you
on the right path making things a lot safer and easier to find your way.
Braille labels
You can use self-adhesive braille stuck to sturdy labels or to the sticks
for seed trays. Plastic labels are available from RNIB for use with a
brailler.
Locating labels
Edwina Millis of Coventry adds: when potting up new plants or
transferring them, the name tag can be slipped into the soil at the
edge of the pot. Place two sticker ‘bubbles’ underneath the edge rim
where the label has been placed. This will quickly enable you to find it.

20 April
May

Sowing or planting out continues and bedding can be established

in the garden. Weeding, watering and lawn care are in full swing.

May 21
The food garden
Carrot root fly deterrent
Here’s another tip from Vincent Robins (Robbie): To fend off carrot root
fly, lay a length of string soaked in paraffin along the top of the row of
seeds. The smell of the paraffin masks the smell of the carrot and
helps to keep the carrot root fly away.
Radish in a pot
For a very quick and easy crop of radish, try sowing a couple of
pinches of seed in a flowerpot. The variety “Scarlet Globe” is delicious
and is a better choice than the longer types. Fill a pot with compost to
about 1 inch (2.5cm) of its rim, sprinkle over a little seed, cover with
compost, water and stand in a bright position on the patio. The seeds
will germinate within days; keep moist and the crop will be ready to
pick and eat in about 6-8 weeks.
Planting sweetcorn
Tim Spurgeon suggests planting sweetcorn in a block to help
germination. Plant 4-5 inches (12cm) apart and mulch with 2-3 inches
(7cm) of garden compost. Water copiously to start with – the water
must go down deep enough. Place a 3-inch flowerpot, or a large
plastic bottle with the bottom cut off, by the side of the plant. Fill this
with water, which will trickle down to the roots.
Watercress
Pam Levett from Tonbridge, Kent, recommends Watercress-Aqua,
from Marshall’s Seeds. She grows it in large shallow pots that she
keeps standing in water that she replaces every 2-3 days. Pam says
that she has plenty of watercress from May to October. Watercress is
rich in iron and calcium.

22 May
The flower garden
Alpines
Before planting Alpines, fork some coarse sand or grit into the soil to
improve drainage. Don’t bury the crowns – the base of the stems – but
leave them slightly above soil level. This is particularly important with
dianthus, which can die if buried too deeply. Then mulch around the
plants with grit, working it among the stems to ensure no water stays
at their bases, and also to discourage slugs. Water the plants well to
settle the roots.
Artificial moss
Elsie Hall of Fort Rose, Ross-shire notes: I always used to get into a
muddle with moss for lining hanging baskets. My saviour was Carters
Seeds. They supply packs (enough for two baskets) of imitation moss
on one side with clear thin plastic on the other. It is easy to make
small holes for planting. Leave the base uncut for about 2 inches
(5cm) to act as a water saver. This really works for me, saving my
temper and the environment. You can contact Carters Tested Seeds
on 01803 696 300 or look for ‘super moss’ in your local garden centre.
Cuttings from houseplants
This summer, set aside some time to take cuttings from your favourite
houseplants. Although African violets, Cape primrose, Begonia rex and
other plants can last as long as three or four years with little more than
an annual re-potting, ultimately they will deteriorate and lose their
vigour. It is really easy to take a few leaf cuttings and raise new plants.
Individual leaves from an African violet can be rooted simply by
pushing their stalks (with leaves attached) into small pots of compost.
Kept in a warm greenhouse, these will root and grow into new plants.
Alternatively, larger plants can just be divided into individual crowns
and each one potted up separately.

May 23
Tools and tips
Single-handed barrow
Alison Hamilton from Lampeter came second in the Inventive Blind
Gardener of the Year category, 2006. She says: when moving heavy
materials around a large garden, I would have previously resorted to
using a bucket or bag. However, I recommend using a single-handed
wheelbarrow, which can be pulled with one hand, thus allowing one
hand free for a cane or dog for navigation.
Home-made kneeler
This idea comes from Edwina Millis of Coventry. She says: for weeding
I kneel on a cushion placed in a white plastic bag, with an empty white
compost bag under that. If you are called away to the phone, you can
easily find the place you were working. I also use coloured bowls for
weeds, or for carrying around my tools.
Automated watering
Alfreda Weir adds: I have an irrigation system connected to the outside
tap that operates in both front and back gardens. All hanging baskets
and plant beds are watered easily through a system of small discrete
pipes hidden around the garden. There is safe and easy watering of
all plants with just the turn of a tap.

24 May
June

Some crops will need thinning or picking. Weeding continues and

watering is a regular demand, particularly for tomatoes and other
fruiting crops.

June 25
The food garden
Easier courgettes
Courgettes are simply immature marrows, and they can be eaten at
any stage of growth. But varieties sold as courgettes have been bred
to be prolific and if you let any of the fruit become large, the plants will
not produce as many courgettes. Jean Harrington says: I now grow
bush variety courgettes, as the leaves and stems are not so intrusive
which means I can get close to them without breaking the stems.
I also find yellow varieties easier to find.
Pollination
From Come Gardening, July 1985: don’t forget that marrows and
courgettes grown outdoors can be left to pollinate themselves; melons
need pollinating by hand; and greenhouse cucumbers should be
prevented from being pollinated by removing male flowers.
Lettuce in pots
Barry Bradley-Young of Kent reports: I have had great success with
lettuce and French beans I had grown on in 3-inch plastic pots in the
greenhouse. These were grown for other people who didn’t take them,
so I put them in shallow metal trays and just filled the trays with water.
The lettuces have grown to maturity and the beans are cropping as
heavily as those in the large plastic boxes outside.
Ask for help
Josephine Sykes suggests that it’s okay to ask people for help, for
example: I’ve planted a row of seeds, are they showing? She says she
feels her way around to check the size of fruit, buds, dead heads,
peas, onions.

26 June
The flower garden
Cones for mowing
Dr Harold Rose told us: I have some vision only in the centre of the
right eye and can recognise objects at a distance. However, if I
attempt to mow the lawn in the normal way, I tend to steer in curves
to the right instead of in parallel lines. For those with partial sight and
with long lawns, I suggest you use two traffic cones, with taller ones
for longer lawns. Place one at each end of the lawn, at the starting
point, and at the end of the first run. After the first run move the cone
along by one mower width. When you arrive at the bottom end, do
likewise – and so on.
Pipe mowing guide
Lucy Morrell of Thrive says: I met Rod at the Cornwall Vision Exhibition
organised by the Cornwall Association for the Blind. He told me of a
great idea he uses to keep his mowing straight. Rod has cut some
plastic guttering to the length of his lawn. He suggests that if one
length is not long enough, to taper the end of the new piece to fit into
the first. The pipe is painted day-glo yellow, so that he can see it, and
he uses it as a guide when he mows. It is light enough to move easily,
and can be extended or contracted if the lawn is not of even length.
When he’s finished, he stores the pipe in his garage.
Dead-heading
Edwina Millis advises: dead head your plants regularly. To find out
when to do it, I feel the flowers. Roses have a hard hip forming if left.
I cut the dead rose head off, and another one can form. Geraniums
feel dry when the heads are dying off, so the quicker you can cut
them off the quicker new growth will follow. You can feel peonies,
hydrangeas, lilies etc, and know when to cut back. I gradually fill
my white plastic bag with debris and dispose of it in the garden bin.

June 27
Tools and tips
Electronic locator
Peter Barry says: if I put down hand tools, I can never find them. So
I use an electric locator, the Smartfinder, that comes with four square
receivers, from RNIB. I screw an eyelet into the end of the tool handle,
and attach a receiver to that with a dog clip – or you could tie it on to
the eyelet with cord. If I lose a tool, I press a button on the locator and
the receiver starts bleeping. It saves a lot of time.
Plastic bottle watering
A gardener at a workshop run for the charity St Dunstan’s in Sussex
came up with a number of ideas for using old plastic drinks bottles for
watering. Fill a drinks bottle with water and invert it into a hanging
basket or container. The water will gradually bubble out into the
compost. You can also cut the bottom off a bottle and use the top part
as a funnel, or watering aid.
Slug deterrent
Stand plant containers on large sheets of heavy grade roofing felt.
This helps keep slugs and snails away – they dislike the roughness
and move on.

28 June
July

The vegetable garden will be cropping well, and the garden will be
at its flowering height, so watering will be vital. Some shrubs will
need pruning after flowering.

July 29
The food garden
Brighter water bottles
Penny Caston of South Glamorgan passed on this tip: in my
polytunnel I have upturned plastic bottles with the bottoms removed
to get water directly to the roots of my tomatoes. The bottles have
brightly coloured tape around them so that I can see where to water.
I have brightly coloured hand tools to help me to find them. Also, a
mobile phone is essential as I do fall sometimes and it’s good to tell
others where you are.
Mulching leeks
Tests have shown that mulching leeks with compost boosts yield by
32 percent, compared with plots where the compost had been dug
into the soil.
Check your onions
Tim Spurgeon says: while onions are growing, keep a watch for any
flowering stems that start; onions tend to produce these particularly
in dry weather. You will recognize the shoot as it has the flower bud
at the top. Pinch out the flower buds.

30 July
The flower garden
Chrysanthemum tips
When you nip out the growing tips of your young chrysanthemums for
the first time to encourage them to bush out, don’t discard the tips.
Dip them in hormone rooting powder and pot them up. They should
produce new plants that will still be flowering after the parent plants
have had their show.
If your dahlias and chrysanthemums suddenly develop ‘chewed’
flowers, the most likely culprit will be earwigs. These pests can be
caught in a simple homemade trap. All you need is a small plant pot,
a 1m garden cane and some straw or scrunched-up newspaper. Fill
the pot with straw or paper and pop it upside-down onto the cane set
firmly in the ground between the flowers. During the day, the earwigs
look for somewhere cosy to sleep, such as the traps. All you have to
do is check the traps every afternoon, and dispose of the earwigs.
Only trap them if they are causing you problems, because they do
eat aphids and other pests too.
Scent markers
Highfield School, Wakefield has this advice: we have scented plants
and herbs strategically planted for pupils to use as markers for where
they are in the garden. These include lavender, spearmint, garden
mint, chives, a plant that smells of oranges, and rosemary.
Feeding roses
Never feed roses after July, as new growth will be susceptible to frost
damage.

July 31
Tools and tips
Tool cleaning
Always clean tools after use. Most can be cleaned with an oily rag.
Plunge larger tools in a bucket of oily sand. Keeping tools sharpened
prolongs their life and makes them easier to use. Store tools in a dry
place. The tool shed should be easy to navigate and planned to suit
you. Always leave tools in a safe position and where you know where
they are.
Gardening without bending
A gardener with back problems notes: to carry on gardening I had my
veggie plot gravelled over and then positioned a dozen or so water
butt stands topped with very large plastic pots. I planted these with
many different vegetable seeds, all of which are cropping splendidly,
while I can dig, weed and tend them at waist level with a hand fork
and trowel.
And Basil Syddall says: by adding a handle to a bulb planter, I’ve
made a long-handled planter. I added an extension handle on the
lever that empties the soil out so that I can dig a hole and knock the
soil out, all standing up.

32 July
August

Watering will continue for thirsty plants and you might need to
make arrangements to water plants if you’re away. Harvesting is at
its peak and now is the time to consider autumn sowings outdoors
or under cover.

August 33
The food garden
Japanese onion
August is the perfect month to sow seeds of the hardy Japanese over-
wintering onion. Wait until late September if you are growing them
from sets. They grow over winter and will be ready for harvest next
June/July. Try 10-12 sets in a 12-inch flowerpot.
Endives and chicory
Endives and chicory can be sown throughout the summer, but the
leafy types can also be sown in August for autumn and winter crops.
If they’re protected from the worst of winter wet and cold with a
cloche, or by growing in a greenhouse or polytunnel, they will last
through much of winter. However, you must give good ventilation or
they will succumb to grey mould (botrytis).
Locating fallen fruit
Alison Hamilton says: I discovered an easy way to find the windfall
apples was to lie my cane on the ground and move it around the tree,
thereby pushing all the apples together to pick up.

34 August
The flower garden
Dahlia appeal
Helen Cross told us: I am getting a lot of pleasure out of my dahlias.
Each year I say I’ll not do it again because of the trouble of lifting and
storing, but can I part with such good friends as “Doris Day” and
“David Howard”? I don’t think so.
Cutting stems and pruning help
Pauline Marsden of Bradford says: pull the stem taut when pruning to
aid snipping the intended stem. I find this is handy for any pliant stem
– for example lavender, roses. Whilst pruning a tall buddleia, I found
a new way of dealing with the branches if you have some vision.
I silhouette the stem (dark) against the lightness of the sky (fine day
needed!) and this makes it easier to judge where to cut.
Autumn bloomers
Try: Michelmas daisies, rudbeckias, salvias, lobelias, dahlias,
chrysanthemums, gladioli, asters, mahonia (for berries), vitis – very
nice leaf colour on certain vines in autumn – sunflowers, other annuals
such as nasturtiums; some bedding will continue strongly into these
months. Californian poppies may still go strong in the autumn and
seem to act as perennials. Don’t forget vegetables for colour, too,
such as sweetcorn. Certain flowers, like phlox, could be used as
cut flowers; the plants then produce more flowers on into the year.
Dead-heading keeps plants producing flowers for longer.
Jill Ward of Much Marcle, Herefordshire, adds: my cosmos usually
start to flower in August. They are very easily grown in pans or cells
from seed, planted out when about four inches high. Mine flower in
pink, red and white, and it is important to keep dead-heading for more
flowers. And what about perennial helenium, which can also be grown
from seed, flowering in yellow through to deep bronze.

August 35
Tools and tips
Getting down and dirty
Jean Harrington, of West Sussex and Blind Gardener of the Year 2008,
found: for weeding I have to get incredibly close to plants, so I now
wear waterproof trousers over my ordinary ones, so that I can get right
on the ground without getting filthy every time.
Valued tools
Elizabeth Jones says: I still use the same style tools as usual, but they
are updated as they are renewed. I find the small single blade tree saw
indispensable. There is nothing more valuable to me than my white
secateurs, they don’t get lost as often as other tools do. Now that
I am older, my next biggest asset is my ratchet secateurs.
Cut and hold secateurs
Joe McNamara suggested: cut and hold secateurs hold the branches
or stems of any bush or flower which gives a blind gardener the use of
both hands. This is very effective when pruning rose bushes or dead-
heading roses – saves getting thorns in your fingers.
Help for lost tools
Cardiff Institute for the Blind Gardening Club sent this tip: We use
bright plastic carrier bags tied to hand tools to help us find lost tools.
If the bright colour doesn’t give it away, the rustling caused by a
breeze will provide an audible tell tale. The Cardiff Institute were
third in the Blind Gardening Club of the Year category 2008.

36 August
September

Harvesting and preparing crops for storage continues apace.

Most top fruit will be harvested by the end of the month. Keep
dead-heading to keep plants blooming. Look towards preparing
the garden for worsening weather and start to bring in tender plants.
Late September onwards is a good time for planting trees, shrubs
and spring flowering bulbs.

September 37
The food garden
Protecting carrots
Carrots can be lifted as and when you want them. Break off the tops
immediately. If left on, they’ll draw water from the carrots and make
them shrivel. Carrots left in the soil are protected from autumn frosts
by the dying tops. As winter approaches, add a layer of straw or
leaves.
A few autumn veg ideas
For the autumn, try salad crops, purple sprouting broccoli, Japanese
onions, and garlic in the open ground, if your soil is not waterlogged.
You could also sow a green manure crop to dig in as a feed in the
spring.
Propagating artichokes
Try this propagation technique for growing globe artichokes, cardoons
and ornamental thistles. Remove the seed heads in late September or
October when they turn fluffy, and dry indoors until early spring. Sit the
seed head in a shallow dish, in 1cm of water, and keep topping up the
water level. After several weeks, seedlings will appear. When large
enough, simply pot them up and harden them off before transplanting
to the garden.

38 September
The flower garden
Preventing wind-rock
Tim Spurgeon reminds us: autumn can see some very high winds that
will rock trees and shrubs backwards and forwards. This ‘wind-rock’
creates gaps around the stems at soil level – a useful entry point for
pests and diseases. Feel down to the base of plants and if there is a
gap, loosen the soil with a trowel or hand fork and firm it back in
around the stem. You can use your heel to firm it in properly, but be
careful not to scrape off the bark with your foot.
Timing your planting
All plants need a good supply of water when first planted, as their root
systems take time to spread far enough to become ‘self-sufficient’.
If most of your soil is dry, ensure your plants’ survival by planting in
September and October, rather than the spring, so they extend their
roots when the soil is still warm, and soon to be drenched by autumn
rains. You can get more water to the roots by inverting a plastic bottle
in the ground (with the base cut off) and filling with water.
Recording where plants are
Andrea Gordon says: I use a digital voice recorder to keep records of
plants which need to be moved in the winter, and when they die back,
mark them with distinctive tent pegs so I know exactly where to start
digging.

September 39
Tools and tips
Cleaning water butts
Before the real winter rains set in, give your water butts a good clean
out. Empty the butt and remove any debris that has gathered. When
the butt refills it will be with good, fresh water.
Gloves and trugs
Andrea Gordon says: I never wear gloves because it’s too easy to pull
up a plant instead of a weed, and I garden on my knees, using trugs
to collect weeds, and to carry plants and mulch.
Sensitive gloves
Another tip from Robbie (Vincent Robins): I cut out the forefinger and
thumb on both of my gardening gloves so that I can feel with these
fingers while the rest of the hands are protected. Usually gloves are
fairly big so you can retract your fingers a little bit when you are
working.

40 September
October

Autumn tidying continues, with many plants needing cutting back.

Fruit tree pruning continues. Begin cleaning and tidying the
greenhouse. Protect half hardy plants from frost with fleece or
straw. It is time to consult the autumn seed and bulb catalogues.

October 41
The food garden
Check blackcurrants
In the winter months, check blackcurrant bushes for the enlarged buds
which indicate the presence of big bug mite. If any are found, they
should be removed and disposed of promptly – into the bonfire or
dustbin, not on the compost heap.
Training blackberries
When training new blackberry canes, first year growth can be trained
to one side of the crown. The following year, train the new growths to
the other side; this reduces the chances of diseases being washed off
the old canes onto the new and makes pruning easier.
Storing cabbage
Unharvested cabbages split and spoil. Cut the hearts and leave the
plant, complete with a few outside leaves, in the ground. Store the
heart on a cool, airy shelf and it will keep for several weeks.
Meanwhile, out in the garden, the stem will grow three or four
small cabbages which can be used in early winter.
Stringing onions
Once onion stems are good and dry – if you gently pinch the stem just
above the bulb you can feel if it is still wet inside, as it feels spongy –
make strings of them to hang up to store. You will find that those that
tried to flower will have produced thick stems. Don’t try to store these,
or any that have blemishes. Only store the sound ones.

42 October
The flower garden
Tulips
Tulips will give a fabulous display the first year – the problem is
keeping them going. They are best planted at least 6-inches deep in
sun in a good, well-drained soil. Don’t plant the bulbs until October at
the earliest. With hybrids, the size of the bulb and flower may diminish
in subsequent years, but the flowers are still attractive.
Trimming pond plants
In early winter, when you cut back the plants around the outside of the
pond, don’t cut plants with hollow stems too low. During the winter,
the water level will rise, filling the plants with water and causing them
to rot.
Selecting a tree for your soil
When choosing a tree for your garden, it’s important to consider the
nature of your soil. Here are some tips from the Tree Council: chalk
and limestone soils can reduce the iron available to trees and some
types can fail to grow, and their leaves turn yellow. Cherries, most
maples, junipers, ash, yew and whitebeams all succeed on lime-rich
soil.
Heavy clay soils can inhibit root growth and are often waterlogged
in winter and baked dry in summer, causing some trees serious
problems. Those that can cope with clay include alders, eucalyptus,
hollies, laburnums, limes and oaks.
Sandy soils are often poor in nutrients, but birches, chestnuts and
pines will all be quite happy in these conditions.
In coastal areas, salt-laden winds can reach many miles inland in
rough weather. Salt tolerant species include some oaks (Quercus ilex
and Q petraea), some pines (Pinus muricata, P nigra and P radiata),
sycamore and whitebeam (Sorbus aria).
October 43
Tools and tips
A safer barrow edge
Judy Shaw of York Gardening Club says: if you bump into a heavy
wheelbarrow, you can end up really bruising your legs. One solution is
to get some foam pipe insulation, cut it down one side, open it up, put
waterproof glue inside and glue it over the rim of the barrow. It softens
the edge and gives good contrast so you can see the barrow more
easily.
More safety tips
Helen Cross explains: to improve safety in my garden I’ve cut down
on patio pots and have just a few well out of the traffic area. I have
solar lights with shiny tops which are at strategic places such as curve
ends, and I also try to keep the paths completely uncluttered.
Is your soil alkaline?
Find out if your soil is alkaline by adding a small amount of soil to an
equal amount of vinegar. If the mixture froths and foams, this indicates
that the soil contains lime, and is alkaline.

44 October
November

Stored crops should be checked and maintained. Winter planting

and pruning can continue. If the garden lacks winter colour, you can
remedy it now.

November 45
The food garden
Avoiding wireworm
What can you do to rid your potato crop of wireworms? Wireworms are
usually only a problem on newly cultivated land, although if you grow
potatoes on the same plot year after year, the problem can build up
over time. Chemical controls are few and a better solution is to cultivate
the land so that birds can remove them. Although the pest spends a
long time in the soil – about four years – before pupating into its adult
form (the click beetle) it would be worth trying to rotate your crops.
Self-pollinating fruit
You could invest in just one blueberry or loganberry – without a ‘mate’
as they should be self-pollinating. These would also be happy in a pot
on the patio. Blueberries like acid soil, so use ericaceous compost.
Some winter jobs
Winter is the time to begin to make out your seed order for the year.
Ventilate the glasshouse or cold frame whenever there is a sunny day.
Bring watering cans under cover; if they have to stay outside, turn
them upside down to prevent frost damage. Wash all pots and seed
trays so that they are ready for spring sowing.
Greenhouse insulation
Joe McNamara from Lancashire had this idea for insulating your
greenhouse: fit polycarbonate panels inside the roof of the greenhouse
underneath the glass. They just slip into the roof structure and you can
slip them out again easily. This saves quite a lot of heating in the
winter. Leave the ventilation areas clear, so that you can air the
greenhouse on a mild day. The panels can also be used for shading
during the summer. You can buy polycarbonate panels from your local
DIY store.

46 November
The flower garden
Dividing herbaceous plants
Tim Spurgeon of Thrive says: herbaceous plants deteriorate over time
as they expand, and the centre of larger plants can die out. Although
the correct time to divide plants is in mild weather over winter, as long
as the plants have not put on too much growth, you can still do it as
late as May.
Lift the plant out of the soil with a garden fork, or the smaller border
fork, easing it into the ground around the plant and levering the plant
up with as many roots as you can. Then, if you have two forks, place
them back-to-back, treading the prongs down into the plant. Once in,
ease the fork handles together and the prongs will force the plant in
two. This can take quite a bit of effort and strength.
You can always attack the plant with a spade, chopper or axe, or cut
off smaller sections with an old kitchen knife. Simply replant the newly
divided plants that you want in odd-numbered groups.
Planting roses
Bare rooted roses can be planted out any time up until April, as long
as the ground is suitable for digging. You will damage the soil structure
if you dig when it is frozen or water-logged.
Moving roses
Moving roses is difficult, as they put down long, deep roots. The
removal takes time and needs to be done in two stages. Firstly, in July,
after flowering, reduce the top growth to about 1 foot or 30cm. Then
dig down using a spade to sever any lateral roots in a circle about
18 inches from the main stems, and under the plant. Then give the
plant a feed of slow-release fertiliser, to encourage it to grow more
lateral roots within this circle. In November when the rose is dormant,
lift the plant with its newly enhanced roots and take to its new home.
November 47
Tools and tips
Keeping butts clean
Joan Parker, a Come Gardening reader from Nottinghamshire, advises
gardeners to let their pipes wear tights! This is a tip that she has used
for years. Tie a pair of tights over the end of the downpipe going into a
water butt. The tights don’t fall off the pipe and they collect all the
leaves, blossom and berries that would otherwise taint the water. It
also stops the watering can rose from getting sludged up when using
water from the butt.
Clay pots for shelter
If you don’t have room for a log pile for wildlife in the garden, old clay
pots make good homes for many creatures – such as frogs and toads,
or insects and woodlice that are themselves food for larger creatures.
Small clay pots half buried in the soil are also good homes for bees.
Place the pots in a shady spot and plant ferns or hostas around them
and they’ll look attractive too. (Make sure you’re not attracting slugs in
the process, though!)
Fix your string
String is one of the most useful items in the garden – and also the one
most likely to go missing. Buy a large ball of string and use parcel tape
to fix it to the greenhouse or shed shelf. Or use a sturdy dispenser.
That way, it stays put while you cut off the length you need, always
use the string from the centre of the ball.

48 November
December

Much of your gardening is done indoors – choosing seed, reviewing

the past year and making plans for next. Tree and shrub planting
can continue on fine days. Harvesting of autumn sown crops
continues.

December 49
The food garden
Frost definitions
Frost is classified as ‘slight’ when the temperature is -0.1° to -3.5°C;
moderate, when it is -3.5° to -6.4°C; severe, when it is -6.5° to
-11.5°C and very severe when it is below -11.5°C.
Heritage seed
If the commercial seed catalogues don’t have what you are looking for
this winter, why not follow Peter Barry’s lead and grow some heritage
seeds for the first time? Find out more about The Heritage Seed
Library from Garden Organic, at Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry,
Warwickshire CV8 3LG, telephone 024 7630 8210 or email
enquiry@hdra.org.uk
Saving seed
At this time of year it’s a good idea to take a look at any remains of
seed packets and decide which must be thrown away and which can
be used again. Generally speaking, for most varieties, year-old seeds
that were stored properly (ie, somewhere cool, dry and dark) will be
fine. Some, such as parsnip, will not produce satisfactory germination
unless fresh, so use new seed each year. Vegetables such as broad
beans, kidney beans and carrot should not be used if older than one
to two years. However, peas, leek, lettuce, radish, and sometimes
onion can be used after two years. Seeds of the cabbage family, along
with spinach and turnip, can be used as much as four or five years
later, and beetroot even as much as 10 years later.

50 December
The flower garden
Winter pansies
Dr Norman Waddington of West Yorkshire suggests: for winter hanging
baskets why not try winter flowering pansies? In a 10-inch basket you
would use five pansies that will trail over the edge. Winter pansies
come in various colours. You can experiment with yellow and purple,
for example, or keep them all self-coloured. The larger your basket,
the higher the number of plants you will need. Remember to use odd
numbers; nine plants in a 14-inch basket, for instance.
Winter flowerers
Winter is often a difficult time for colour in the garden. However, the
winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum (yellow), Viburnum x bodnatense
or V farreri which both have pink flowers, or the shrubby Lonicera
fragrantissima, with pale yellow flowers – all add scent and colour to
the winter garden.
The sweet box or Christmas box (Sarcococca) produces dense,
evergreen thickets of shiny leaves that are excellent in flower
arrangements. It comes into its own in December, producing sweetly
fragrant, white flowers, followed by fat green, purple and black berries.
In UK gardens it reaches 3 foot (1m) at most, and while tolerant of
partial and deep shade, it will also cope with neglect. Like most
evergreens, it prefers a moisture-retentive soil.

December 51
Tools and tips
Layout ideas
Now is a good time to think about your garden layout. John
Saunderson from Rotherham says: it is essential for a blind gardener
to have a suitably set out garden plot. My own garden has a small
front garden and a reasonably-sized back garden. This has a lawn
with flower borders and a vegetable plot. Because the vegetable plot
is edged by a level, paved path, with walls and fences, I am able to
feel my way around this area. The lawn has a path leading to it
through a rose arch. There are two clothes lines that lead to the arch,
one of which passes through the arch. So I have a means of finding
my way around. A line of raspberry canes separates the vegetable
and flower sections.
Helpful tools
With Christmas in mind, you can think about inventive new tools that
you or your friends might want. Sydney Rowley of Hertfordshire says
that his daughter bought him a talking tape measure and a spirit level
with a light on – very useful ideas that you can purchase through RNIB.
Talking labels
Talking tins labels from RNIB are used around the house and you can
record a short note of what you are labelling. You read the recorded
notes using a pen-style gadget. These might be helpful for labelling
plants grown under cover.
Mark your edges
This tip, from Alfreda Weir in Dunfermline, is to place brightly coloured
or white outlines at the edges of stonework or brick paths – all the way
round – so there is no danger of tripping over the edge, making things
a lot safer.

52 December
Further information

Have these brief tips selected from ideas in Come Gardening

magazine whetted your appetite?
You can find in-depth gardening advice on everything from sowing to
mowing in Getting on with Gardening volumes 1 and 2, available
from Thrive in a variety of formats, or visit Thrive’s Carry on Gardening
website www.carryongardening.org.uk Members of the National
Blind Gardeners’ Club also have access to an audio Library for Blind
Gardeners, with titles on a range of gardening subjects.
Contact Thrive
Don’t forget that you can get your gardening questions answered at
Thrive – the national charity founded in 1978, that uses gardening to
change the lives of disabled people.
Telephone 0118 988 5688, email info@thrive.org.uk or write to
Thrive, The Geoffrey Udall Centre, Beech Hill, Reading RG7 2AT.
Contact RNIB
RNIB is the UK’s leading charity for blind and partially sighted people.
To find out more about the range of RNIB services, please call the
RNIB helpline 0303 123 9999, email helpline@rnib.org.uk, visit
rnib.org.uk or write to RNIB, 105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE.

53
The National Blind Gardeners’ Club

The National Blind Gardeners Club was formed in 2006 and is a

partnership project between Thrive and Royal National Institute of
Blind People (RNIB) and is funded by The Big Lottery Fund.
The Club brings together gardeners who are blind or partially sighted
to share information, tips and techniques.
Join the National Blind Gardeners’ Club for:
• Come Gardening, a quarterly magazine written by and for blind and
partially sighted gardeners, has regular articles on food and flower
growing, reviews plants, tools and equipment new to the market,
and features news and tips from readers. Available in large print,
on audio CD or tape, on floppy disc, braille and by email.
• Access to a specialist gardening library of articles in accessible
formats that includes a collection of tactile gardening diagrams.
• A regular e-bulletin to keep you up to date with events and
seasonal gardening tips.
• Getting on with Gardening books. Learn tried and tested
techniques devised by visually impaired gardeners. The books are
available in large print, DAISY and audio CD, tape and braille
versions at a reduced rate to Club Members.
• Advance information on specialist events for blind gardeners.
The Club is guided by the Advisory Committee of Blind Gardeners
(ACBG).
How do I join?
Club Membership starts at just £9 a year for blind and partially sighted
people thanks to a subsidy from the Big Lottery Fund, or £12 if you
wish to receive Come Gardening in two formats. Membership for
organisations is £20. To join the Club call Thrive on 0118 988 5688,
email info@thrive.org.uk

54
Thrive also offers people with sight loss support through:
• Free gardening advice. Help with your gardening problem, or
information on care of particular plants is just a phone call, letter or
email away: contact us at Thrive and we will do our best to help.
• Contact with local blind gardeners’clubs. We can put you in touch
with your nearest gardening club for visually impaired people, put
your club in touch with other similar clubs or give you support to
start your own local club.
• Workshops for people who are interested in new gardening
techniques, or who once enjoyed gardening but have lost their
confidence due to recent sight loss.
• Residential courses are run over three days at horticultural colleges
and allow you to develop and maintain an interest in gardening.
They are run in a friendly, relaxed manner by experienced tutors and
supported by volunteers.
• Blind Gardener of the Year. This annual competition celebrates the
enthusiasm, skills and achievements of blind and partially sighted
gardeners.
For further information on all of the above, as well as Thrive’s other
services, visit the Thrive website www.thrive.org.uk and Thrive’s
website for easier gardening www.carryongardening.org.uk
Call 0118 988 5688, email info@thrive.org.uk or write to National
Blind Gardeners’ Club, Thrive, The Geoffrey Udall Centre, Beech Hill,
Reading RG7 2AT.

55
With thanks to the members of the National Blind
Gardeners’ Club for their tips and to Marjory Carpenter
and Annette Gahling for featuring in the photographs
taken for Thrive by Caroline Nieuwenhuys.
Editors Val George and Lucy Morrell
Copyright Thrive and RNIB 2009
This guide is also available in braille and on audio CD.
To order copies in alternative formats or more copies of
this large print version, please contact The National Blind
Gardeners’ Club. Telephone 0118 988 5688 or email
info@thrive.org.uk

Thrive registered charity number 277570

RNIB registered charity number 226227