Planting Potatoes Using a Potato Planter

Our latest video is now live on our Youtube Channel.

Clive Groves is demonstrating how to plant potatoes using a potato planting tool. These are available on our website here

The planters are made locally in Dorset and hand produced. Made to an Old English design, this quality Potato Planting tool will save you time and back-ache. Crafted from steel, it is sturdy and hard-wearing. A pivoted opening cup allows hole penetration and planting to be done accurately and quickly. In fact, you'll wonder how you ever managed without one.

PLANTING A TREE FOR THE QUEEN’S JUBLIEE

Everyone loves trees, so if you are thinking of planting one, why not do it for the Queens Jubilee.

Here at Groves Nurseries and Garden Centre we have an absolutely fantastic selection of ornamental and fruit trees, including rare and unusual varieties.

How about something topical?

Betula ‘Snow Queen’ - a beautiful white stemmed Himalayan Birch.

Pictured here is Malus ‘Royal Beauty’ – a small weeping tree with copper red young leaves, deep pink flowers and small dark red fruit.




Or on a similar theme:

Prunus kanzan ‘Royal Burgundy’ – an upright tree with rich burgundy leaves and contrasting pink blossom, with the added bonus of the leaves turning scarlet red in Autumn.

Sorbus ‘Apricot Queen’ - a small ornamental Rowan tree with bright orange berries, will tolerate harsh conditions.

Maybe you live in Somerset, well there is a Maple called Acer rubrum ‘Somerset’ which has fantastic deep red Autumn colouring.

If you want to go the whole hog, why not plant a small orchard, this need not just be Apples. We have Cherries, Plums, Pears or how about a group of Cider Apples, alternatively create your own Nuttery using our range of Cobnuts, Hazel nuts, Walnuts and Chestnuts.



Ailanthus altissima - tree of heaven



So, as you can see the list is endless. There are trees for small gardens, trees for exposed areas, wet soils and so on, in fact you name it we will probably have a tree to fit your requirements. We even have trees to celebrate a marriage – Malus ‘Wedding Bouquet’.

Once planted your garden will feel like a little piece of Heaven, come to think of it we have that as well a tree called Ailanthus altissima commonly called ‘The Tree of Heaven’!



Go on celebrate the Queens Jubilee and plant a tree.

If you would like any further help choosing a tree or in fact any question about gardening, please feel free to get in touch with me or anyone at Groves either by e-mail hardyplants@grovesnurseries.co.uk or by calling 01308 422654

Kind regards
Steve Ward

The importance of eating Fruit & Veg.

We all read and hear in the news that it’s important to eat fresh fruit and Veg. Not only do they provide antioxidants to help prevent cancer but most are high alkaline forming foods which are great for overall health.

If we have too much acid in our system, we decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients. Too much acid decreases energy production in cells and increase the risk of tumour cells thriving.

The problems we face today is that our diet consists of too many processed foods. We also eat acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy and not enough fruit and veg to even this imbalance out. We also eat acid producing processed foods such as flour, sugar and drink too much acid producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks.

To correct this we need to clean up the diet and lifestyle.
Generally, alkaline forming foods include: most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs, seasonings, and seeds and nuts.  Why not not try and grow fruit and Veg which will give you an incentive to eat healthy. Click here to buy Fruit plants or Veg Seed

To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods.

Acid/Alkaline Food Chart

Our bodies are about 80% alkaline and 20% acidic. That’s a good reason to consume approximately 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. Realistically if you can maintain a ratio of 60% alkaline to 40% acidic food, this will be sufficient to give your body what it needs.

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

It might seem like eating something at a pH of 6 isn’t that much different than eating something at a pH of 7, but pH is an exponential scale: every unit of change in pH equals a 10-fold increase. So the acidity of a food with a pH of 6 is ten times more acidic than that of a food with a pH of 7. A difference of 2 units (from 7 to 5) would mean that the acidity is 100 times greater. That means that Coca-Cola with pH 2 is 100,000 times more acidic than water (neutral pH of 7). Coffee with pH 4 is 1,000 times more acidic than water.

Pre-Order Christmas Tree & Save 10%. Delivery in Dorset

You can now pre-order your Christmas Tree for local delivery (+25 mile radius). Save 10% if you order before the end of November. Delivery only £1/Free over £50) Delivery will commence the first week of December. (Please specify if you want it delivered later)

On ordering your chosen Christmas tree, as soon as they arrive, our expert staff will ensure that your tree is pre-selected from the very best of the bunch and well in time for the festive period.

Should you wish to purchase your Christmas tree in-store from our Christmas Tree area, our staff will be more than willing to assist you in your selection and can also give advice on care and decoration.

We cover the Bridport area, Dorchester, Weymouth, Potland, Abbotsbury, Beaminster, Yeovil, Crewkerne, Axminister, Lyme Regis and Charmouth. We will give you a call to arrange delivery of your Christmas Tree.

Should you require any further information or have any specific requirements please do not hesitate to give us a call on (01308) 422654 before ordering your Christmas Tree.

Growing Grape Vines in Greenhouses

We have put together a quick video demonstration on how and where to grow Grape Vines in your Greenhouse. Growing your own grape vines is very satisfying and the fruits of your labour will last you many many years. If you are interested in purchasing indoor grape vines, please click here. We also have a wide selection of grape vines that are ready for outdoors. We have red, white and rose, dessert and wine making. We feel that this gives you a real choice, without baffling you with too many varieties.

How to Sow Violet Seed

As most of us know, the time to sow seed is in the spring months. However not many people know that the time to sow Violet Seed is now. This is because the seed needs to be stratified, this means they will need a period of cold after they have been sowed. Although you can sow them in other seasons using your fridge, this is the natural method. When you sow the seed, cover it lightly using a gritty compost to get a good drainage then cover with glass or polythene with air holes punched in. Make sure they are kept damp. The RHS also recommend that viola seed should be kept in the dark. For further instructions, see video below.

How to make good Cider in large quantities

First choose a blend of Apples to get the best taste.

Clean your apples thoroughly, cutting out any bruises or damaged parts. As a rule, it is not recommended to use any fruit for cider you would not eat as it is.

Cut your apples into quarters or use our fruit crusher to do this for you. Then press your apples through a straining bag using a cider press.

Store the cider juice in a sealed container below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for extended storage.

The trick to making cider and not vinegar is to FILL your container to the top with your pressed apple juice. If you only half fill that bucket you're going to get vinegar. Yeast need an anaerobic environment. So the more space - hence air - left in the container contributes to the vinegar taste. Co2 is heavier than oxygen and will eventually be purged through the valve at the top.

Choose a variety of apples, and process each separately, then combine the juice to sample different flavors and see the difference in the colors you may produce using golden, green, and red apples.

Just remember, Whatever the size of your container/bucket you must fill the container as close to the top as possible with your squeezed apple juice. If you do not do this, if you only half fill the container, and you will get vinegar instead of cider.

About our Fruit Presses
Groves are excited to bring our Cider Fruit Presses online and in-store (around 8th September). Our cider presses are capable of crushing everything from grapes, oranges, lemons, strawberries to large apples. Why not make some homebrew Wine from the Grapes or Cider from the Apples?

For large hard fruit such as apples, the fruit must be prepared pre crushing, so we recommend you buy the Aluminium 7 litre fruit crusher that fits onto all our presses.

The fruit press also comes with one free fruit straining bag that you insert into the main basket so the efficiency off the press is 100%. The straining bag will also help catch pips, seeds and other plant waste you don't want to find in your freshly pressed apple or fruit juice.

All fruit presses are beautifully made, with a heavy duty pressed steel base covered with a hard wearing enamel coating, a beech cage bound with enameled steel rings, a stainless steel spindle and cast iron press mechanism. Our presses range from 6 litres perfect for making juice in small quantities up to 75 litres for large quantities of juice/cider.