Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

The oak frosts

As the climate crisis escalates, 40°C heat alerts are becoming a regular event – and that’s before you’ve factored in the midsummer frosts and greenhouse-shattering storms. Dry, rustling leaves roused Lena from her heat-induced snooze; the thick, clammy air was finally on the move. Yawning, she pressed her back against the oak’s trunk, her legs […]

CONSIDERING A GREENHOUSE TO GROW YOUR OWN?

HISTORIC GLASSHOUSE MANUFACTURER HARTLEY BOTANIC ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS Historic Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic experienced a renewed demand from homeowners in its beautiful, handmade Greenhouses during lockdown, as the benefit of being more self-sufficient and ‘growing your own’ was thrown sharply into focus. The Lancashire-based business, which has been operating since 1938, experienced a […]

Written in United States

Potting Soil in The Greenhouse

It doesn’t matter whether you have a large or small, old or modern greenhouse, you will use potting soil. I use a lot of potting soil, bales of it in fact. I’m talking about real potting soil. Mixtures that are instead called “garden soil,” or something similar, are a different animal entirely. They can contain […]

How to grow homegrown potatoes for Christmas

Plan ahead and plant some Christmas cropping potatoes now for your festive feast, says Jean Vernon Growing your own food is a wonderful way to connect with nature, nutrition and your own well-being. There’s little more healthy than harvesting fresh, homegrown produce from your own garden, especially if it’s organic and free from toxic pesticides. […]

Written in United States

Edibles Among the Ornamentals—why not?

Looking for a spot in your garden to grow more edibles in this stay-at-home summer? But maybe you don’t want to tear up more lawn or build raised beds. So, consider planting fruits and vegetables in the existing ornamental borders around your home, where the soil is already turned, mulch may be down, and weeds, […]

Grow super early fruits

Your greenhouse can increase your GYO production in so many ways. Naturally one’s most often used for starting plants off earlier and in summer most greenhouses are filled with tender annual crops. Recently they’re becoming utilised for growing salads and other leafy crops almost year round. Of course the frost free greenhouse was actually effectively […]