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Review: Grow-your-own kits

April 13, 2012 by Katie Bryson

seeds germinating

We are currently using all our windowsills to nurture seeds for the allotment. We were away over Easter so our fab neighbour popped in to water them for us, and we returned home to a mini forest on our kitchen table.

I’ve been sent a couple of grow your own seed kits in the last month and thought i’d share how I’m getting on.

Innocent seeds promotion

The first batch of seeds came from juice and smoothie giant Innocent, who are giving away seeds with their packs of mini smoothies.

You only get a tiny amount of seeds in each packet, but they’re ideal for getting children interested in growing. Innocent encourage you to plant them in anything you’ve got lying around – even empty smoothie containers.

We put ours in little pots on the boys’ bathroom windowsill which is a nice light hotspot. The cress sprung up in a matter of days, the basil was next out of the blocks closely followed by the tomatoes and carrots.

The sunflower and violets have sadly failed to shoot through. Not sure how long to give them before declaring them defunct.

Verdict: Perfect for kids who want their first experience of germinating seeds, and free with your smoothies so a win win! You don’t get many per pack though, so you’ll not get the volume you need for an allotment.

Allotinabox

The second selection of seeds came from Allotinabox, who put together charming gift-friendly packs of growing kits.

They’re aimed at urbon dwellers who are hankering after a bit of grow-your-own action, but perhaps don’t have the space to live that dream.

Small scale veg growing on balconies and patios is the name of this game.

I was delighted when my retro looking package popped through the post.

I got five packets of seeds (aubergines, parsley, rocket, mange tout and British thyme), a clever wheel that tells you when to sow each vegetable and when you can expect to harvest it, some sturdy twine, a lovely smelling soap and some plant tags.

The mange tout seeds have shot away brilliantly – really strong looking plants that i’ll be able to put in the ground at the allotment in the next few weeks.

The aubergine took a while to appear, but are also looking healthy, as is the parsley. I’ve run out of windowsill space but will get to the thyme and rocket next.

Verdict: A brilliant gift (£12.99) with a decent amount of seeds that are good quality, perfect for someone just starting out.

Thanks to Innocent and Allotinabox for sending me their products for this review

 

 

Filed Under: 1 Featured Review, Allotment, Product reviews Tagged With: gardening with kids, grow your own kits, seed kits

« Review: mini cakes for picnics
Sticky honey, banana and almond cake »

Comments

  1. shuhan says

    April 13, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    first time at your site and really like all the fun ideas you share. super love the Allotinabox gift-friendly packs! It’s great inspiration (I study graphic design) for a future project of my own too (: More people need to eat local and what better way to get local food than to grow it yourself! I unfortunately only live in a tiny studio apartment, but I have got some herbs going on my windowsill !

    • Katie Bryson says

      April 13, 2012 at 9:14 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and your kind words about my blog! Good luck with your graphic design project. The allotinabox packs are really lovely and such a fab idea… what can be more satisfying than growing your own food?! Eating it probably 😉

  2. Ren Behan says

    April 17, 2012 at 10:27 pm

    Ooh I have wanted to try Allotinabox – thanks for reviewing. I spotted it in a magazine and then could’t find where. I love the idea of a little wheel telling when to sow and harvest.

    • Katie Bryson says

      April 18, 2012 at 10:33 am

      it’s a fab little box of goodies Ren – i’ve been really pleased with the quality of the seeds too. The Mange Tout have developed into really sturdy seedlings which we put in the ground this week. I’ve just bought a mini grow house for the back garden to put all my seedlings in – it’s so addictive this grow-your-own stuff.

About Katie

I’m Katie Bryson – Freelance Food Writer, wife of a strapping vegetarian and mum of two boisterous boys – keeping them all fuelled and trying to stay sane is a daily challenge so I thought I’d share my experiences. Read More...

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