Grow Your Own Magazine

Spear & Jackson 12-Piece Gardening Kits

GYO has teamed up with tool company Spear & Jackson to offer ten of the magazine's readers everything they'll need to keep a productive plot in shape.

Each of the 12-piece kits contains a spade, fork, trowel, hoe and rake from the Elements range, plus a selection of other must-have goodies. The tools' hardened carbon steel heads are designed for durability and are epoxy-coated for a stronger resistance to scratches, rust, humidity and the alkalines found in soil. Plus, their hard-wearing ash wood handles are weatherproofed, making them suitable for year-round use. With so many crops to plant and sow during early spring, your prizes won't spend much time sitting in the shed. A good fork and spade are an essential part of every gardener’s kit and Spear & Jackson have combined 71cm-long shafts with 17cm x 28cm heads and forward tilted handles to create easyto- use digging tools. They'll be comfortable to hold, whether you're planting, removing spent stems or turning over the soil of an entire plot. For container growing and delicate tasks, stick with Elements' smaller hand tools. Like the larger fork and spade, the generalpurpose trowel is ma de from carbon steel and ash wood protected by a clear lacquer. Use it for planting crops and digging at close quarters. The soil scoop and transplanting trowel will come in handy in the potting shed. The shovel-shaped scoop can hold a good volume of compost and has a smooth, easy-to-hold handle. The trowel's curved head will support plants when they are manoeuvred into new growing positions.

For more information on Spear & Jackson's Elements range, call 0114 281 4242 or go to spear-and-jackson.com to find your nearest stockist.

Alternatively, for your chance to win one of the ten 12-piece sets we have to give away, worth a total of £103.89 each, tick the box under the image, then fill the form below.

In The Bag

A plot can be both productive and attractive. The Basic Large Starter Kit from Plants Just 4 U contains everything you'll need for a eye-catching garden and veg patch. The strawberry, sweet pepper, tomato and aubergine plug plants look just as good as they taste and are teamed with ten ornamental varieties such as viola 'Venus' F1 and lobelia bush 'String of Pearls'. Ninety six 9cm terracotta plastic pots are included, too. The Strawberry Kit will also look stunning on a plot or patio. The ten plugs of delicious 'Fragaria Fresca' arrive alongside an African marigold plant. The Lettuce & Tomato set includes red-tinted lettuce 'Lollo Rossa', tomato 'Tumbling Tom' and an African marigold. Like the Strawberry Kit, the collection arrives with a hanging bag – plant the plugs through the openings to showcase your colourful crops.

For your chance to win one of five sets each containing a Basic Large Starter Kit, a Strawberry Kit and a Lettuce & Tomato kit, worth £33.75, £9.99 and £9.99 respectively, tick the box under the image, then fill the form below.

Best Show In Town

This year's Harrogate Flower Show includes a new fruit and veg growing area. Keen gardeners can pick up tips on cultivating food crops at a number of live demonstrations taking place throughout the weekend. Gardening experts, including Joe Maiden, are giving talks on veg cultivation, plus information on the best way to start growing, whatever your garden size. Thompson & Morgan, Heirloom Tomatoes, Exhibition Seeds and Rogers of Pickering will be on site, too, with a range of seed, veg and fruit displays. Visitors can watch regional chefs from the Fodder Cookery Theatre use local produce to create a range of delicious meals. Expect plenty of hints on the best way to enjoy crops taken from your own vegetable plot.

The event takes place on 22-25 April 2010 at the Great Yorkshire Showground. Tickets cost £14 from Thursday to Saturday and £12 on Sunday. The show offers free entry to children under 16. To save £2 on these prices, call 0844 873 3303 or go to flowershow.org.uk and book before noon on 13 April 2010.

Alternatively, for your chance to win one of the 20 pairs of tickets we have to give away, tick the box under the image, then fill the form below.

Some Like It Hot

When it's too cold for sowing seeds outside, a heated propagator can give you a head start on germination. Keep tender crops under cover until they can be planted out without the threat of frost. Two Wests & Elliott's Big Top Propagator has a height of 36cm and is designed to accommodate taller edibles as well as seedlings. The electrically heated base is well-insulated and deflects warmth upwards while the aluminium frame is glazed with clear plastic and has a lift-off lid for easy access to the plants. Control the air flow using the four adjustable vents. The propagator will have a heat 11-14° C above the ambient temperature of the greenhouse it is placed in.

The Big Top Propagator costs £121.95. To order, call 01246 451 077 or go to twowests.co.uk. Alternatively, for your chance to win one of the two we have to give away, tick the box under the image, then fill the form below.