GARDEN + GARDENING + GARDENING TIPS & ADVICE

Now is the time to make the most of your garden, and getting a heater for your garden or patio is one way of ensuring you can enjoy your garden in the evenings and without worrying about the changeable spring weather.

It’s certainly worth going for the eco-friendly option, not only for the enjoyment of having a real fire, but also because it’s more cost-effective. Recycled and eco-friendly fuel is good value, or you could make your own fuel from garden waste.

Firebowls make a useful and unique outdoor heating solution. They heat up almost immediately and are useful as patio heaters. Many come with a fitted grill, which means they are also handy for the occasional barbecue. Some steel models do have a mesh spark guard which makes these a safer option around children and pets, although of course the normal fire safety precautions should be taken, as with any open fire.

It’s certainly worth looking around for a firebowl which best suits your needs. Firebowls should be covered and stored in the shed when not in use, but when lit, they’ll make an interesting garden feature, so invest some time in choosing one which fits your garden. Clay firebowls have a more traditional look, but steel models are more durable and are a lot easier to transport. If portability is particularly important to you, there are models which fold up and pack away for easy transportation.

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Steel Firebowls are a good choice if you’re likely to want to move your firebowl. They’re also much more durable than clay firebowls, and they’ll burn any type of fuel, including charcoal (which shouldn’t be used in clay firebowls). They often come with mesh spark guards and fitted barbecue grills. You might want to look for one which is enamel-coated, as enamel protects the paint from heat damage, and also helps guard against rust. Of course, the bowl and the surrounding metal will get very hot when in use, so do exercise caution.

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Clay firebowls need protection from the weather, particularly in the colder months of the year. To minimise the risk of damage, you should only ever use a thoroughly dry clay firebowl. The design of clay firebowls tend to be inspired by traditional Mayan or Aztec art and are great if you want to add a neutral earth-toned centrepiece to your garden, but the larger models are not as convenient to transport as steel firebowls.

As well as being good for outdoor heating and entertaining, firebowls can be used to produce useful heat from garden and household waste. Simply let garden clippings dry for a day or two in the sun, package fallen autumn leaves in paper bags, or collect dry garden waste.

Of course, as with any fire, you should ensure the firebowl is cool before attempting to clean and move it and a layer of sand or pumice stones will ensure you get the most from your firebowl for years to come.

Laura Phillips is an outdoor living enthusiast and writes for Chimineashop. If you’re looking for more information about steel and clay firebowls, why not visit us at chimineashop.co.uk.

Almost all of us grow plants in soil. It’s just normal because it is the traditional approach of growing plants and the majority of growers used such method. However, contrary to what many of us think, a plant could actually survive without a soil. That’s what hydroponic system is about. Hydroponic system or simply hydroponics is a method of growing plants which uses mineral nutrient solutions in water in replacement of soil. Hydroponic system was introduced in the 19th century but the first known work about growing plants without soil was that of Sir Francis Bacon’s book Sylva Sylvarum, published in 1627.

Researchers have discovered that plants take in essential mineral nutrients in a form of inorganic ions present in water. This means that soil is not really needed for plants to grow as it only serves as a mineral nutrient reservoir. The minerals the soil contains are only being absorbed by the plants when they have dissolved in water. The soil then becomes useless when the right nutrient has already been absorbed by the plants. Almost all of terrestrial plants could grow using hydroponic systems. With hydroponics, terrestrial plants are capable of growing just by having their roots buried in a mineral solution alone. Inert medium such as coconut husk, gravel or mineral wool may be used as well.

Hydroponic systems have so many advantages to offer. People who don’t have soil are now able to grow their own plants if they want. Hydroponically grown plants grow up faster than their conventional counterparts. This is not surprising since plants growth is only put at risk to diseases, pests, salinity or poor soil structure by the soil itself. In hydroponics, the roots are easily able to take in the right nutrients. No risk of plants over absorbing nutrients. Hydroponic system is a very nature friendly system too as it promotes the proper use of water and fertilizer. The fertilizers used in the system can be reused. Pollution caused by pesticides is lessened since the usage of pesticides is reduced as well.

But as they say it, there’s no such thing as perfect, even hydroponic system has its drawbacks too. The system can be quite pricey, specially for first timers. It may take a lot of hard work as well. Salmonella is likely to grow in the environment hydroponics is sporting. Plants are also aid to be susceptible to pathogen attacks. When fertilizing, care should be exercised as root could get burn from too concentrated solution. Hydroponic system is not for the fin of heart. One needs to be knowledgeable to its in and outs first before its actual implementation otherwise, success can’t be guaranteed. Rushing into it will only lead to waste of time, effort and money so proper consultation as well as in depth research is needed.

Hydroponic systems may not be at all a perfect invention. Needless to say, the system’s advantages is a far cry from its pitfalls. All these possible can be prevented through fool proof planning and serious preparation. Hydroponics would only work to people who are disciplined and are willing to sweat so much by working hard. While those who don’t have the courage to invest time and money on something new should divert heir attention to different matter as trying the system would mean wasting so much.

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