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December is a time for dormancy in the garden. Hopefully this month we can brighten up and inspire you with some Portuguese inspiration as well as a review on a selection of handy tools that we have used this season in the Garden from Stiga. We’ll finish off with a few more ‘to do’s out in the Garden.
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In October, we visited Jose, a Giant Vegetable Grower from Portugal who is an active member within our Giant Vegetable Community on Facebook. Jose and his family live in the very friendly village of Paderne. It was a fantastic opportunity to see first-hand, the growing conditions in Portugal together with the sampling of some Portuguese fruits and traditions.
The first thing that greeted us as we entered the village was a pair of Donkeys. We stopped off at the local Café. Jose was well known within the Community. He’s aptly called the ‘Pumpkin man’. Jose has only been growing large pumpkins for 3 years and he definitely has the skills to grow even bigger. We were fortunate to witness the lifting of a giant sweet potato. This has been started off as a cutting and was growing in the ground for 7 months. The weather is ideal and amazingly, Jose and his family unearthed over 37kg of sweet potatoes from one plant.
As well as Giant Vegetables, Jose is investing in some amazing stocks of Dragon fruits which sell locally for 16eu per kilo. This change in direction relates to changes in the climate within Portugal. We’ve never tasted such fruits before, but can honestly say that they are the best fruit we have tasted. Dragon fruits are loaded with vitamins B1, B2, B3, and C. The high vitamin content of dragon fruit helps improve your skin, blood pressure, and metabolism. Dragon fruit is also loaded with antioxidants.
In addition to the Dragon Fruit, Jose is growing pistachios, Nectarines, Peaches, Watermelon’s, Apples, Pears, Guava, Prickly Pears and an endless supply of strawberries and raspberries. The year round sunshine means that they have to rely on mains fed water and this is supplied through the well in the community. It was really interesting to learn that Portugal and the Algarve in particular has dry river beds. As kids, they remembered swimming in these rivers. Since March 2020, they have had no rainfall. It’s a bit different here in Wales and throughout the UK.
It’s true to say that the pandemic has really increased the interest in gardening. If, like us, you now have the bug or are thinking of having a grow, or have even bought your first home with a garden, below are our tried and tested pieces of equipment for growing your own as well as maintaining your own garden. The STIGA Group has been providing quality garden tools, machinery and equipment in Europe for over 90 years, bringing innovation and simplicity to gardening. Below is our recommended selection of items for the Christmas basket.
Ground preparation is key and as we enter the start of the 2022 season, Stiga have a range of rotavators for use on an allotment, back garden or a larger small holding. At the end of the season, we tilled over the ground with the STIGA SRC 550 RB. This is a lightweight, versatile machine that is perfect for a small garden as well as an allotment. It fits into the back of an average car and can be taken in and out of a vehicle with limited effort. It is powered by a 125 cc Briggs & Stratton engine and benefits from reverse gear, which is pretty unique for a machine of this size. 4 Rotovators and a 50 cm working width and a 20 cm soil depth. The added benefit of the transport wheel, height and side adjustable handle allow even the taller gardeners to enjoy the great outdoors.
The STIGA SRC 775 RG is a heavier machine that tills through the ground with ease. It certainly helped to speed up our later ground preparations this season. This machine was used to make the final soil preparation prior to planting out the Giant Marrows. It definitely helped to provide a fine tilth to the soil. As this is a heavier machine, the reverse gear makes tilling the ground so much easier. The Stiga SRC 775RG is an impressive petrol cultivator boasting a powerful 182cc 4 stroke engine. This heavy-duty cultivator has a wide 75cm tilling width and a working depth of 26cm. The Stiga petrol engine operates 6 powerful rotors which plough through the ground making light work of the even the toughest soils. Like the smaller cultivator, this machine has a front transport wheel which allows you to move in and around the garden and into the outbuildings with ease.
For the very first time in 2021, we were excited and delighted to have an opportunity to use the range of battery powered tools from the Stiga. These have been perfect for hedge cutting, lawn maintenance, blowing away the loose cuttings and all-round tree pruning as well as small topiary box hedges. We were skeptical on the benefits of battery power, but the build quality, together with the battery performance has totally changed our view on battery power
This long reach, hedge trimmer is a great addition to the garden shed. Previously, we would climb up a ladder to cut the top of the laurel. This allows us to reach the top of our laurel hedges at over 4 metres. The STIGA SPH 700 AE battery-powered Hedge trimmer can also be turned at six different angles, allowing us to trim even the most hard-to-reach areas.
This STIGA SPS 700 AE long reach pole pruner has allowed us to carry out Summer and Autumn pruning in safety from the ground. This machine has a 450w motor and has helped us to reach a cutting height of up to 4m with 48V 2.0Ah battery. The average time of use was just over 30 minutes on one charge.
The battery life is excellent and the power from this machine is incredible.
Whilst we have been able to maintain the hedges with battery power, the addition of the Stiga’s new Combi 748 SQ AE lawnmower to our shed, has helped to transform our lawn. The lawnmower has excellent performance and outstanding battery life. Our lawn was overseeded in the Spring and still feels like a carpet to walk on.
There was no need to visit the petrol station during the fuel crisis. This machine requires two 48V 4Ah batteries and tackles up to 550sqm in 25 minutes, more than enough for the average back garden (and neighbours if you are feeling generous). The mower has an easy to use keypad lets you choose between six speeds and an eco mode, while its 4-in-1 cutting system offers six cutting height choices, as well as a self-propelled function. We have been spoilt for choice with this machine in deciding whether to mulch, collect, side or rear discharge. The 60 Litre grass collector reduces the trips to the compost bin and the power of the machine in uninterrupted even with this extra weight.
This mower really is the Tesla of mowers
One of the most recent additions to the Stiga Shed has been the battery-operated SAB 700 AE Leaf Blower. This has been a great tool to get the kids out into the garden. This is a very Light, powerful and long lasting and allows easy clearing of debris as well as leaves. We have added the 48V 4Ah battery, and this delivers over 25 minutes at medium speed, and 18 minutes at full speed. The medium speed is more than sufficient to clear drives, paths and grassed areas of leaves and debris. Powerful 500W motor generates air speeds up to 60m/s. The machine only weighs around 2.7kg and is very lightweight.
The key pad is simply a touch and go and is effortless. Add one to the Christmas basket and you wont be disappointed.
The final addition for your Christmas basket are the range of pressure washers from Stiga. You really are spoilt for choice. If you are feeling adventurous like us, we’ve got a great tool that is helping us and this is the STIGA HPS 345 R which is a cold water pressure washer. This pressure washer is powered by a 2100 W induction electric motor which operates with a maximum pressure of 145 bar and a flow rate of 450 l/h. The high-pressure hose supplied is 9 metres long, plenty for getting around the average greenhouse. It is a robust piece of equipment, lightweight, easy to use and has the advantage of two wheels for easy transport. This machine has helped to clean the residual algae off the tunnel. It even had a prewash with the foam sprayer. Fill, plug in and spray away.
This machine is really impressive. It’s one that can be put on this list for Christmas and you can enjoy cleaning up the footpaths and cars on Boxing Day and beyond
Pruning should be carried out when the tree is dormant. This is usually between November and early March. Apple and pear trees are best pruned every winter to ensure a good cycle of fruiting wood. Trees that are not pruned become less productive and congested with old branches. The aim is to create an open goblet shape with a framework of four to five main branches.
Allow your tree's roots to soak in water an hour or two before planting.
Dig the planting hole large enough to allow the roots to grow and spread out the tree's roots to encourage outward growth.
Add Mycorrgiantveg to the roots to provide the tree with a healthy head start
Make a list of what you would like to grow and start searching for seeds.
For the experienced Giant Growers, they are started off in early October, but if you are wishing to have a grow yourselves, sow a few seeds now and remember to keep them frost free. You’ll now look forward to having a giant harvest in the 2022 season.
If you have perennials, mark these with a bamboo cane and cover with a light mulch. This helps to identify where they are located in the border so that you don’t disturb the young shoots in the early Spring.
The wider desire to function more sustainably is focusing gardeners’ minds in operating greenhouses with the minimum energy usage. Here is our practical advice on heating greenhouses efficiently.
One of the main sources of heat loss is through draughts. Winter is a time for maintenance and by sealing cracks, replacing broken panes and ensuring vents and doors fit snugly will help to reduce those bills.
Add a layer of bubble polythene to insulate the greenhouse. With our Keder Greenhouse, there is greater thermal efficiency but as we do not grow in the full 8 metres during the Winter months, screening off part of it helps to reduce the overall area to be heated
Choosing the right temperature can help save fuel. Investing in a thermostatically controlled heater can help to provide the most ambient temperature for plants. Keeping the plants frost free is key. A minimum of 3ºC (37ºF) is sufficient to sustain many tender plants. We try, where we can to keep the temperature at around 10ºC (50ºF) which provides us with comfort that the plants will be protected.
On that final comforting note, whilst you are perusing through the products available at Stiga, we hope you have enjoyed the blogs in 2021 and we wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Giant Gardening year in 2022
Photos - credit to Kevin @GiantVeg
