After a very dry spring, we’ve now had heatwave temperatures followed by torrential rain. A perfect recipe for weeds! They are popping up faster than I can deal with them. I love trying new products in the garden. Thompson and Morgan sent me a bag of their new Incredi-Mulch Plus to review.

You might have spotted it in the ‘New for the Garden’ pages of Garden News Magazine recently.

I’ve sprinkled it down the centre of my sweet pea A-frame supports. Once the sweet peas get growing, it’s difficult to keep control of the weeds in the middle of the plot.

The space down the middle is packed with Ammi majus, cosmos, love-in-a-mist, gladioli and calendula. Flowers pop out the sides through the sweet peas and are easy to harvest. This is also a great way to grow a large number of flowers in a small space without having to individually stake all the flowers.

The mulch is lightweight and easy to handle. I weeded the plot first then sprinkled it to a depth of 2cm. I was very pleased to see it stayed put after a sudden downpour. Other mulches tended to blow about all over the paths and have to be swept back on to the borders. Very tiresome. But this new mulch did what it said on the packaging. It stayed where it was sprinkled.

Details on the back of the pack state it provides a slow-release fertiliser and deters slugs, snails and vine weevils. I will report back in future blogs to let you know if this is the case.

So far it’s working well. It’s keeping the moisture in and the weeds down. I’m hoping it will last a good few months. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, here’s a few photos of the first sweet peas of the season. Seeds came from King’s Seeds and Higgledy Garden’s Ben Ranyard. Two I would highly recommend. Seeds are large and fresh and there’s a good germination rate.

Seeds came from a cut flower mix, but I think this is High Scent. The scent is amazing with huge flowers which have a picotee edge.

Another from the same packet. Possibly Chatsworth. The most beautiful blue.

Such a beautiful combination of shades of blue, pink and white.

Make a note to visit Easton Walled Gardens for their Sweet Pea Fortnight to see rows and rows of different varieties, including rare heritage types. Sweet pea seed tins are also for sale in the visitor centre shop.

I’m also fond of the Wiltshire Ripple Mixed series from Mr Fothergill’s. I see they have dropped the ‘Mr’ from the company name, but I still think of them as the family firm Mr Fothergill’s.

My sweet peas were sown in October in deep cell trays or root trainers which open like a book. I used the new Rocket Grow seed compost, mixed with extra grit for drainage. Cell trays were set inside deep, clear plastic storage boxes with lids to deter the mice. Mice can’t climb the shiny, sheer sides. But they can jump from a nearby surface, so you still have to take care!

I’ve also tried using magazine pages curled around a spice jar to form a paper case. These are then grouped in a large plant pot, or they unravel over time. I tend to use this technique for January to May sowings.

At planting time, it’s simple to open the cell trays to extract the seedlings without damaging roots. I use a PlantGrow from Norfolk to prepare the beds for planting. We used to use manure, but I worry about veterinary products retained in the manure. Weeds are also a problem, and you can never tell how mature the manure is until it is delivered. PlantGrow is the answer.

I’d be failing in my duty if I didn’t also promote Garden News Magazine! Subscriptions are cheaper than buying off the supermarket shelf and there are often fantastic subscriber offers. I’ve been a team member writing for the magazine for so many years. It’s almost like a family! I must say, I’ve written for many magazines and newspapers over the years, but I really enjoy the camaraderie of the GN team. We are all supporting one another and enjoying what we do. I’m sure that comes over in the writing each week. As you can see, sweet peas were featured on the front cover of the April 14 issue.

Incredi-Mulch Plus is from thompson-morgan.com. £12.99/1L.

Bags were sent free of charge for me to review. I wasn’t paid for this review. I’ll report back as the season continues. But so far, I’m delighted with the product. #AD

Also check out what Cathy is growing this week on her blog :

https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/