Make January Your Month
Taking care of ourselves is incredibly important, but often
overlooked! We’ve put together some ideas to help keep you occupied over the sometimes
duller winter months.
HOUSEPLANTS –
From Aloe Vera to Swiss Cheese plants, houseplants are
proven to provide emotional benefits. They can provide stress relief and boost
productivity, whilst immersing yourself within a green area is a great way to
spark creativity and introduce a calmness into your home or workspace.
Make your own terrarium – Keep your mind occupied with your
very own terrarium. Fun to make and take care of, a terrarium is a great way to
exercise your inner creativity. We have put together a step by step guide of
how to make yours below!
Ingredients – We have a terrarium kit available here at
Poplar (all you add is plants), but also sell the individual items needed to
build one too.
· Terrarium
· Terrarium compost
· Charcoal (helps to avoid stagnation)
· Gravel
· Stones/shells (for decoration)
· Plants (3 to 5 depending on the size of the
terrarium)
· Funnel (to add gravel)
1.
Put compost and charcoal in terrarium and mix.
If the compost is in a block, make sure to pre-soak for at least 4 hours. Fill
roughly ¼ of the way up depending on the terrarium shape.
2.
Plant your chosen plants in the terrarium. For
our example we used 3 plants. Make sure that there is enough space for growth
(the smaller the plants the better). Think about the foliage shape and the
colour as this makes for a more interesting display.
3.
Apply gravel around the plants (a funnel makes
this easier). You can gently straighten up the stones with your fingers.
4.
To add a sentimental touch, why not place
pebbles or shells from your favourite days out?
5. Water lightly around each plant and let your terrarium settle for a few days. Before watering again, check the base of your container for moisture. Place in a bright spot out of direct sunlight.
COOKING -
Cooking a delicious meal can be incredibly rewarding and
healthy too. Foods such as leafy greens, nuts, oily fish and chicken can help
to balance moods, improve memory and increase learning capacity. They can be
incorporated with some of your favourite foods to make a feast good for both
body and soul.
We have a huge variety of ingredients available within our Food Hall to help you get cheffing in no time. BBC Good Food is an amazing place for recipes too. We’d love to see what you created, why not tag us on Instagram @poplarnurseriesltd or @poplarfoodhall.
GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD -
GYO provides a level of satisfaction which is simply not
achievable from anything else! Providing meals from food you’ve grown yourself
and spending time within nature can help both your mental and physical health,
from stress reduction to improvement in mood and fitness. We’re compiled a list
of what you could be planting during January and February below.
You can start growing your tomatoes and peppers from seed at
the end of January/start of February, making sure to keep them warm. A
windowsill is an ideal place to keep them, as you can ensure they are getting
sufficient light too. You will need good fertile soil and they will need to be
watered regularly and fed weekly. They’ll be ready to go outside after the last
frost in May.
There is nothing quite like the flavour of home-grown spuds,
and January is the perfect time to start chitting your seed potatoes. Chitting
is the process of exposing your seed potatoes to light before planting to
encourage them to sprout so that they produce a greater crop once planted. You
can start chitting in January, approximately 6 weeks before you plan to plant.
Stand the tubers with the blunt end (the more rounded end which has a number of
‘eyes’) facing up in egg boxes with plenty of natural light. The potatoes are
ready to plant when the shoots are between 1.5/2cm. More information on how to grow
seed potatoes is available here - https://www.poplarnurseries.co.uk/news/growing-seed-potatoes/.
Early carrot varieties can be grown from seed in
February/March under grow cloches or fleece. Carrots grow best in well-drained
soil in light areas and should be planted about 1cm deep. Carrots do not
require a huge amount of care however it is important to keep the soil around
them weed free and watered occasionally. Carrots should be ready within 12-16
weeks.
Get the kids involved with simple to grow items such as herbs. Make sure you have a sunny indoor spot (south facing is ideal). Ensuring you have good drainage is essential, and a nutrient rich compost such as seed and cutting can increase the chance of germination. Plant 5 or 6 seeds per container/cell and cover with moist compost. The seeds should only need a light sprinkle of water twice weekly; however, you should monitor them daily to make sure they have not dried out too much. As seedlings mature, they can then be transplanted into larger containers and kept in the house or planted out after the last frost.
Upcoming competitions -
We will be launching our #selfcaresaturday competitions
weekly, via social media. Throughout January we will be giving you the chance
to win a self-care bundle from different areas of the garden centre. Each
competition will be launched on the date below and will end on the Tuesday
after. You can follow us on social media by following the links at the bottom
of the blog.
8th January – To kick off our #selfcaresaturday
freebie, we are giving away an all-in-one terrarium kit. It includes all you need
to make a terrarium, including the plants, soil and charcoal and is the perfect
way to spend a chilled afternoon. (COLLECTION ONLY).
15th January – Our second #selfcaresaturday
freebie is a meal for two with drinks & cake in the Poplar restaurant. Tuck
into a delicious cooked meal with a special someone. To enter, tag the person
you’d bring.
22nd January – Cooking can be a great way to
relax, which is why this freebie for #selfcaresaturday is this basket of
ingredients to make a tasty Italian inspired dish. Simply tag who you’re sharing
this delicious meal with to be entered into our giveaway! (COLLECTION ONLY).
29th January – Our
final freebie for #selfcaresaturday is this bundle of goodies from our gift
department worth £45! It includes soap, a bath set and a candle to help to
relax a little. Simply tag a friend for the chance to win. Winner will be
announced on Tuesday (COLLECTION ONLY).
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