Ice 'Grow Your Own' Challenge

Ice is challenging bloggers to take a step towards a greener summer in their Grow Your Own Competition.  Ice runs a customer reward programme partnered with a range of retailers who are doing their best for the environment, making a one-stop shop for customers where points can be earned and redeemed.  One of their partners is The Organic Gardening Catalogue.  Together they promote sustainable living and keeping things organic, encouraging more people to grow their own fruit and veg in the garden.

I have taken up this challenge to grow and use some home grown produce that I have lovingly nurtured with my own green fingers...well that's the plan!

Armed with a selection of seasonal organic seeds supplied by Ice, the plan is to sow them and grow my own salad leafs and vegetables.

Unfortunately I am not blessed with a big, sunny garden.  In fact my outdoor space is rather small, shady and monopolised by my outdoor loving children and their play paraphernalia.  However, that doesn't mean I can't grow my own produce.  Using pots, tubs and troughs, I can plant up a variety of seeds successfully.  This year I have already started on my mission to be greener and save cash by subsidising our diet with homegrown produce.  I have potatoes growing in a tub, rhubarb in a pot and strawberries that have broken free from their planter and taken root in my lawn!

Gardening is an activity that I enjoy doing with the children as it helps them to learn about nature and teaches them about where their food comes from.  As we are a family of vegetarians, I think that growing our own and trying to live more sustainably is something that complements our lifestyle perfectly and sets a great example to my kids - the next generation.

Now all I need to do is wait for my seedlings to grow and reap the rewards of growing my own!  I am looking forward to some freshly picked baby leaf salad very soon!

Find out more about the free to join reward programme for ethical shoppers at myice.com

'Grow Your Own' with Poundland

If you like the idea of growing your own produce or getting out in the garden, but don't want to spend a fortune, then Poundland has the ideal range for you.  They stock a variety of seeds, pots, fertiliser, garden ornaments, bulbs, gloves, tools, solar lights, hanging baskets and compost all at just £1 each giving every green fingered gardener a selection of great items at bargain prices.

We were sent an assortment of the items to try out and were particularly excited about the idea of growing our own potatoes using the canvas potato planter, the Organic Potato Fertilser, the potting soil and the Maris Piper seed potatoes.  We don't have any room for a vegetable plot in our garden so growing things in tubs and planters works really well for us.  I really hope hope we get a good crop of spuds later this year so the children can get to eat the produce they have planted up themselves.  We also planted up Rocket, Herbs and Strawberries, as well as Sunflowers and Dahlias.  Fingers crossed for a bumper harvest!!

Kizzy and Freddy enjoyed helping their dad in the garden during the glorious Bank Holiday weekend.  Gardening with kids is a great outdoor activity where they can learn about science and nature and get their hands dirty!

I was really impressed with some of the sets of seeds such as the Nice and Spicy Collection that included four types of chilli, pepper, coriander, basil. mustard greens and oriental spicy leaf seeds.  Excellent value at just £1 and an amazing collection of spicy ingredients to use in the kitchen.  The 10 litres of potting soil comes in a small pack which becomes reconstituted to its original volume by the addition of water.  This makes it easy to buy in store and carry home.  The herb seed discs make it very easy to grow your own herbs such as Parsley, Basil and Chives in pots. 

Check out the gardening range in store at your local Poundland and you could be growing your own for just a few quid!!