My woolly hat is on and it’ll stay on now until late spring.
I’ll need a new pair of steel toe capped work boots very soon too to tide me
over the winter. It pays to plan ahead with boots and get the old leaking ones
replaced before the wetter weather kicks in.
There are other items of clothing to put on the list too,
especially the hidden thermal clothing and waterproofs. It’ll make working
outside more enjoyable and save the old joints from creaking. I’d much sooner
be overdressed for gardening duties and shed a few layers as I warm up and put
them back on again when the flask of tea comes out at break time.
The growing season is quickly coming to a close now and I am
starting to bring my tools in and give them a bit of maintenance and a good
oiling. I’ll even be putting some Danish oil onto the wooden handles of my hoe
(a Dutch one as coincidence would have it) as I think this will help preserve
the wood for a long time, especially at the joints where they tend to rot.
The small electric mower doesn’t really need any maintenance
as it’s mainly all plastic. I just tend to clean the grass from under it and
out of the wheels. I’m not quite ready to hang things up for the winter but it
does no harm to just work through the long list nice and slowly.
Clearing out the polytunnel is a long way down the list as
it’s still producing for me. Just this week I got a large bowl of chillies, a
few pounds of delicious tomatoes and a handful of aubergines. The aubergines
have been a great success and they are delicious fried up. I’ll be growing them
again next year.
Glee 2018
The annual Glee garden and outdoor living trade show in Birmingham
signals the end of the growing year as it showcases products we will see on
sale in the shops in 2019. This year, top of the list is plastic, peat and
glyphosate reduction, one-stop shop suppliers, slug control, shrub replacement,
lawn fixing, solar technology and heat-loving plants after this year’s warm
summer.
One innovative new product is solar Bluetooth, which
controls solar lights using a smartphone app, which automatically adjusts
brightness to extend light functionality. Solar in-lit fencing panels are also available
for a novelty item.
Bamboo pots and trays are increasing in popularity. A more
core product on display was the taupe plant pot - The new taupe-coloured pot is
carbon black-free, recycled polypropylene that can be identified by near
infrared (NIR) and consequently recycled through kerbside recycling schemes.
This allows gardeners to dispose of pots to be recycled in a way that has not
been possible before now. Car tyre stepping stones are also proving a popular
choice
Glyphosate reduction was big news with the official launch
of Evergreen's (formerly Scotts) glyphosate-free Roundup. With 98% of
weedkiller sales being products containing glyphosate. They predicted market
share for glyphosate-frees (usually acetic acid-based) to rise to anywhere
between 2% to 20% of the market next year.
Slug killers Neudorff said it plans to release the first
off-the-shelf slug killer nematode later this year, resolving issues with
nematodes sent by post dying in the summer heat.
Peat reduction was led by Westland's new formulation New
Horizon with Bio3. The Growing Media Association's Responsible Sourcing Scheme
has begun trialling this month with Bord na Móna, Melcourt, Bulrush, Evergreen
(Scotts) and Horticultural Coir, although the voluntary retail phase-out target
of 2020 looks like it has gone by the wayside.
Bulb production has suffered this summer because of a lack
of rain and a few favourites are in short supply.
Wildlife Bird baths sold well in 2018 because of the drought
and companies such as Wildlife World has new launches aiming to feed that
market.
Packaging
After 2018's anti-plastic campaigns, manufacturers have
worked to reduce plastic packaging. For instance, Wildlife World has
compostable cellulose inner packaging and biodegradable outer bags on its new
hedgehog and bird food. It also has metal rather than plastic bird feeders for
sale.
And finally to get you into the winter season - Christmas
tree wholesale prices are up by €1.30 this year. The summer scorch scare has
only hit newly planted trees so will make no impact this season. But retail
prices are at their limit — any higher and more people will buy plastic trees.
