Newsletter,
July 2012
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Ton Vreeken ❞Everything is draining away at this time: employees on vacation, my head is no longer bubbling with ideas but yearns for recharging, even the TV is mostly showing reruns…
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Encouragement for those staying home and late vacationersIt must please you that I'm putting my last energy into a varied (and quite long) Newsletter. After all, "some" self-interest obviously plays a role.
If you read on, you will see that I'm offering you some deals, so my stay-at-homes (in the company) will also stay busy, and your garden might become even more beautiful. Regarding that encouragement: it's wonderful to enjoy your own garden and surroundings at home. I hear it often around me: "We don't need to go anywhere, the tourists are coming to us!" I myself, by the way, will be taking the entire month of August off, but more on that later.
» Just about the growth
Too much moisture means: mould danger!
Watch your fruit vegetables and occasionally mist them with sulphur for some protection. Prune with sharp tools (never pull and tear, that causes large wounds, thus infections) do not walk roughly through your potato patch: broken branches are already a danger. Are your plants too close together? Remove some plants, there must be air circulation. The pot garden should now receive regular fertilisation and plenty of water. A layer of fresh potting soil also works wonders. Cut back spent perennials for a second bloom. After a lot of rain, it is good to loosen the soil for the necessary oxygen, but pay attention to shallow-rooting crops such as beans: do not rake or loosen the soil too close to the plant.
(Un)pleasant surprises
Around this time, we and our suppliers are exposed if we have made a mistake.
Let us know your findings, alleged mistakes, or funny growing mishaps... I love hearing your stories and always take complaints seriously, although I still have some email backlog. And of course, let's not forget: photos! Please send photos of your vegetables or flowers for our site. Take the photo when the sun is down and check for sharpness. Preferably zoom in a bit, I'm not so fond of distorting wide-angle effects.
» A Few Creative Offers
We have 2 offers with a nice mix of plants: 1 extended and 1 new.
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ExtendedFirst of all, the offer "Tubers and Late Vegetables" is still valid (see previous Newsletter). We have of course neatly potted the tubers, so we deliver them while they are already growing. Do you remember the composition?
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The "Irises and Edible Plants" packageEvery year we receive many visits from (advanced) enthusiasts. I learn a lot from their experiences and stories time and again. One of these enthusiasts gifted us a beautiful assortment of Irises, namely the fulva, graminea, orientalis, suaveolens, and variegata.
The first part of this package contains 3 of these 5 special and rare Irises.
Then we supplement this package with a selection from our exciting assortment of "Edible Plants", as you can find, for example, in the chapter of the same name on our site.
The 3 Irises represent a value of € 8.70. We supplement this with (more than) € 40.00 worth of edible plants (our careful selection).
I offer this package, with a total value of € 48.70, for € 29.50
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Who knows... we might still get a real summer!If you do leave for other climes, you'll be entrusting the garden with all those beloved plants to the care of Mother Nature or your neighbours. Perhaps it would be useful to introduce you to some watering aids or sun protection:
1. For water storage, our large and small saucers in various sizes are very popular and convenient.
Click here for the complete overview
2. An additional tool for controlled moisture supply is the capillary mat.
Click here for info and to order
3. The handy combination of the aforementioned numbers 1. and 2. can be found in the Self Watering Tray G140.
Click here for info and to order
4. The Big Drippa offers extra water reserve for several days of absence.
Click here for info and to order
5. If the sun suddenly appears, overheating or scorching, especially in a greenhouse, lurks. The action of Temperzon is simple and effective.
Click here for info and to order
Covering the walls or ceiling of a greenhouse with acrylic fabric also has a cooling and screening effect.
3 summer bargains to help clear out our stock
GrowCamp
Only in July and August do we offer a 10% discount on all GrowCamp products. Our prices are already among the lowest of all dealers, so seize this opportunity now!
It's a significant purchase, but you get a solid product that many enthusiasts praise, as seen on numerous online forums.
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VegTrug MiniThe VegTrug is this spring's bestseller. A raised plant bed on legs – who would have thought? Accessible for people who need to sit down (for a while). The larger sizes (100 cm and 180 cm) are temporarily out of stock and will not be available again until early August. We were able to purchase enough of the smallest size, and I am now offering it at a great price, so you can give it as a gift, for example. Normally € 99.00, now for € 79.00 (while supplies last)
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Summer Bargain Seed and Cutting TraysThe most popular "takeaway" in spring (we sell them by the pallet) are the sowing and cutting trays. To make some space, I'm giving the price a boost, so if you want to grab a bargain: stock up now for the beautiful growing season of 2013! The offer consists of 20 trays with 51 pots and 20 trays with 28 pots.
Total value € 52.00, now for € 39.90.
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Who wants a weekly Newsletter?Too bad, then! You certainly won't receive it from me more than about 6 times a year. This way, the news stays fresh and it remains an enjoyable task for me. I also don't like "begging for orders" at all. A very diligent Newsletter writer, and a very beautiful one at that, can be found at Hof Welgelegen in Zeeland. They are a good customer of ours; you can order vegetable bags from them and receive excellent recipes every week. Nowadays, you can even enjoy cooking workshops there. Take a look at one of our customers' websites and subscribe to their weekly Newsletter:
Personal Farewell Message
As I mentioned in the introduction: my wife Marry and I are going away for the entire month of August.
This time, Canada is on the agenda; we have friends living there, and of course, we'll be seeing lots of nature and cities. Hopefully, a visit to a seed company will also be possible... Marry has an E-Reader (a gift from me), while I'll have to make do with actual books; we both love to read. I'm still undecided, but lately I've been fascinated by the 17th and 18th centuries: Jan Swammerdam, Boerhaave, Spinoza, Descartes... I just finished reading "Gevaarlijke Kennis" and "Het Orakel" and am now reading "Het Boeck der Natuere". What a fascinating time it was then, and how many ways of thinking, doubts, and yearnings for knowledge and interpretation still exist today!
Anyway, perhaps also a "light" book... or that thick tome about the Spanish Civil War after all?
To everyone staying home: take good care of our country, and to those on holiday: enjoy and come back safely and recharged!
Ton Vreeken, July 2012.