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Keep The Nutrition Going

 

As the winter season is upon us, I wanted to share ways of keeping the nutrition in your soil during the winter months.  Nutrients are crucial to the health of your garden. Luckily here at Oakley Turf Farm we have some great soil improvers, and mulches to help keep your soil in tip top condition, ready for spring time.

Here are some tips to help you maintain the nutrient levels in your soil during the cold season:

Apply compost: compost is a great source of organic matter that can provide your soil with the necessary nutrients during winter. Applying compost in the winter will give it enough time to break down and release nutrients into the soil.

If you have acidic soil our organic mushroom compost is a great way of adding rich organic matter to your soil. It can improve weak soils, help break down heavy clay soils and improve water and nutrient retention.  Due to its ph being alkaline it also works well with flowers, vegetables, herbs and shrubs, as well as being totally organic.

Sometimes gardeners find their best growth and highest yields stems from adding manure to their compost/soil mix. Animal by-products not only add essential minerals, but  also a wide array of helpful bacteria to your garden.

Another simple way of adding nutrients to your garden is of course through creating your own compost from kitchen scraps, grass clippings, cardboard, etc. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, through creating a wormery.

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Which Bark Do You Need?

Now that the children have gone back to school, now is a great time to start working on your garden again.

If you’re looking to save time and money in the garden our bark is one of the best ways to get your garden looking tidier and better kept.

Did you know that bark is a mulch and when spread around and between plants, it helps to enrich and insulate the soil.

This means our barks help weed suppression by stopping the daylight from reaching the ground and in turn helps with water retention.

With our bark you simply spread the amount required across the desired area then rake it into place – no digging needed!

✅Handy Tip – if you do have any weeds in the ground, make sure you take them out by hand before spreading the bark.

 

We have a variety of different types of bark to suit your needs.

 

🌲 Bark Chippings

Is our go to product when a customer has a larger area to fill, or they prefer the look of a chunkier bark.

🌲 Fine Boarder Bark  and Decorative Bark

If you have a smaller area to cover or prefer a smaller bark these two products are great for your project.

They are perfect if you have smaller plants to go around.

🌲 Play Grade Bark and Play Grade Chip are ideal for children’s play areas. Now is a great time to top up your children’s play area before the Autumn/winter weather arrives.

If you’re looking for a durable chip to use on pathways we always recommend using our play grade chip. This is because the hardwood chip takes longer to break down compared to our barks.

If you have any questions about any of our products, please just email our team at turf@oakleyturf.com and they will be more than happy to assist you.

 

Happy Gardening!

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HELLO SUMMER!

The summer has finally arrived and we can’t wait to see what’s in store!

One thing we have heard is that this summer, is set to be hotter than last years, according to the Met Office☀️

Did you know that the meteorological calendar for summer covers the duration of June, July and August, or by the astronomical calendar it begins on the 21st June, a day referred to as the summer solstice. The summer solstice marks the point when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky.

Now is a good time to think about looking after yourself when you’re out in the heat in the garden.

Our top tips for keeping cool in the garden are:

✨Try and do your gardening in the early morning or late evening to avoid the hottest part of the day

👒 Always wear a wide brimmed summer hat to keep the sun off your head and face.

🚰 Have a bottle of cold water in an insulated bottle or keep your bottle in the shade.

⛱ Put all your tools in the shade when not using them.

Now sit back and relax and let Oakley Turf Farm do the hard work for you this summer!

With our moffetts (small forklift) we can easily deliver on gravel drives ways, slopes and narrow passages that a normal lorry can’t. If you have any delivery concerns when ordering just put your comments in the “additional information” section when at the checkout page.

 

Happy Gardening!

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COMPOST. USE IT IN YOUR GARDEN OR ALLOTMENT TO SEE YOUR BEST YIELD YET!

Oakley Turf Farm Compost. Use it in your garden or allotment to see your best yield yet

 

Improve your garden or allotment soil with compost!

 

April is a good time to add a layer of compost to your beds, borders and fruit and veg plots. To help you get your best plant and food yields!

Why should you use compost in your garden or allotment?

There are so many benefits to using compost. It:

🌱  Adds nutrients and organic matter to your soil

🌱  Improves fertility and yields

🌱  Increases your soil’s physical structure and its workability

🌱  Aids water and nutrient retention

🌱  Improves weak soils and helps to break down heavy clay soils

Should you buy compost or make your own?

This is really a personal choice and can depend on how much space and time you have!

If you have room in your garden you may want to give over a corner of it for a compost heap or compost bin.

It’s a really handy way to recycle a lot of food, household and garden waste. 

 

You can add things like:

From the garden: Grass and hedge cuttings, weeds and nettles.

From the house: Teabags, eggshells, fruit and veg peelings, paper and cardboard.

 

It will take at least a few months before your compost is ready to use so it’s not an instant solution!

 

You can, of course, buy your compost ready-to-use.

This saves having to have a compost heap or bin in your garden. Which is especially good if you don’t have much space.

You also don’t need to tend to the compost or wait until it’s ready to use. You can collect or have it delivered and use it straight away!

Where can you buy great quality compost in Essex & Suffolk?

Well, as it happens, here at Oakley Turf Farm, we supply a range of fantastic composts, including:

🌱  Compost

🌱  Organic Mushroom Compost 

🌱  Horse Manure

🌱  Farm Yard Manure

 

Our compost is certified to a high-quality standard and is great for plants, shrubs, fruit and vegetables.

You can buy yours here.

Oakley Turf Farm Compost. Use it in your garden or allotment to see your best yield yet

 

🌱  We’d love to see your photos of your plants grown with Oakley Turf Farm soil improvers! You can email them to us or leave us a review or tag us on our social media pages.

Happy Gardening!

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SPRING INTO ACTION! MARCH GARDEN JOBS AND TIPS

SPRING INTO ACTION! MARCH GARDEN JOBS & TIPS

 

Spring into action! March garden jobs and tips!

 

When the sun is shining, there’s no better place to be than in your own garden.

Whether you have a cottage garden, a backyard or several acres, you can make the most of your outdoor space.

Now is the perfect time to give your garden that all-important spring clean. It’s not just indoors that benefits from a bit of TLC this time of year!

And it’s something the whole family can get involved with.

Clean & tidy

🍂 Little ones can pick up any dead leaves and debris left over from autumn and winter.

While older ones can get stuck into the weeding.

Give them a little added incentive, by making it a competition to see who can pull up the most weeds in ten minutes! The winner gets an ice cream!

Weed beds and borders

Make do & mend

🔨 Fix anything that’s broken. Falling fences, the sagging shed roof etc. so everything is safe and in good repair for the coming year.

🖌️ Smarten up and protect fences and sheds with a coat of paint/wood treatment.

🧽 Clean the greenhouse inside and out, if you’re not using it yet.

March garden jobs and tips. Paint sheds and fences

Beds & Borders

🌲 If you haven’t already, add a thick layer of mulch to your beds and borders when the ground is moist.

It suppresses weeds by stopping the daylight from reaching the ground.

Mulch also creates a thermal layer in hot and cold weather and protects plant roots. So while it suppresses weeds, it actually helps your other plants to grow! 🌷

You’ll still need to weed every now and then. But nowhere near as often as if you don’t use a mulch layer!

🌲 Our specially-produced bark chips are great to use on your beds and borders. They aid weed suppression and water retention.

Add a thick layer of mulch to beds and borders

Plant the seed

🍓 Sow sweet peas and plant summer flowers, vegetables, and fruit.

March garden jobs and tips. Sow sweet peas and plant summer flowers, vegetables, and fruit

Lawn Care

🌱 If your lawn is looking a bit worse for wear after winter – DON’T PANIC!!

As the weather warms up in spring, lawns are great at repairing themselves.

We recommend giving lawns spring fertiliser. This will help them bounce back to life and prepare them well for the year ahead.

If any bare areas don’t repair themselves, add a small amount of seed and water it in.

🌱 If you’re laying a new turf lawn this year, spring is a great time to do it.

It’ll have time to establish strong roots and be healthy and strong when you come to use it much more in the summer.

It’s a good idea to add a layer of topsoil before you lay your turf, to keep your new lawn in great condition.

You can buy your turf and topsoil from us here.

Spring is a great time to lay a new turf lawn

Happy Gardening!

 

 

 

 

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FEBRUARY GARDENING JOBS & TIPS

February gardening jobs and tips!

February gardening jobs and tips!

 

There’s not an awful lot of gardening to do in February. But there are always a few jobs and preparation for spring and summer that you can do!

Lawn Care

🌱 Try to keep off frosty or waterlogged grass as much as you can to avoid damaging it.

🌱 Gently rake leaves and debris such as twigs from your lawn regularly. If left, they can create brown patches and even spread lawn disease.

Don’t forget the lawnmower!

🌱 Keeping your lawnmower in good condition will help to keep your lawn in good condition too!

Have your mower serviced and the blades sharpened regularly.

A sharp blade will cut the grass cleanly. Unlike a blunt blade that will tear it, which can cause it to turn brown or yellow.

If you don’t have the tools to service your mower yourself, your local tool hire company can often do this for you.

Lawnmower service

 

Beds & Borders

🌲 Late winter or early spring (before the weeds start to grow) is the ideal time to add a thick layer of mulch to your beds and borders.

Lay mulch is when the ground is moist.

It suppresses weeds by stopping the daylight from reaching the ground.

Mulch also creates a thermal layer in hot and cold weather and protects plant roots. So while it suppresses weeds, it actually helps your other plants to grow! 🌷

You’ll still need to weed every now and then, I’m afraid. But nowhere near as often as if you don’t use a mulch layer!

🌲 Our specially-produced bark chips are great to use on your beds and borders to aid weed suppression and water retention.

Oakley Turf Farm Bark Chips Mulch

 

Around the garden

✂️ Prune shrubs and climbers such as clematis, buddleia, hydrangea and roses.

🌷 Plant bulbs for summer flowers.

🌱 Sow sweet peas.

✔️ Prepare as much as possible now, so you can relax and enjoy your garden in the summer!

💐 And look out for daffodils and snowdrops, for the start of the stunning spring displays!

👀 Take a look around your garden for any other jobs to do when the weather warms up, such as lawn repairs. You can usually use grass seed to repair small damaged patches in your lawn. But for bigger areas, or an instant solution, new turf might be a better option.

Lawn repair using turf

 

Happy Gardening!

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Beat the Winter Blues & look after your lawn in winter!

Beat the Winter Blues & look after your lawn in winter! Oakley Turf Farm

Beat the Winter Blues & look after your lawn in winter!

Beat the Winter Blues

The dark and cold of winter can sometimes leave us feeling a bit gloomy, can’t it?!

So it’s important that we Beat those Winter Blues!

🧣 Wrap up warm and get outside as much as you can, even if it’s only for 10 minutes at a time. The difference a bit of sunshine and fresh air can make to your mood and health is amazing!

🏡 Stroll around your garden to simply enjoy it and/or plan it for the year ahead. To really warm up you could do a spot of light gardening or tidying!

🐦 Keep bird feeders and water baths topped up and clean. It’s a tough time of year for our feathered friends!

🛍️ Go for a browse around your local town or village shops. You might grab a bargain in the sales!

🥾 Pack a hot flask and a spot of lunch and go for a walk in one of your favourite places.

🐦 Listen to the birds sing and watch nature doing its’ thing. It’s just as fascinating in winter!

⛄ If it snows where you are, get out there and build a snowman or two or go sledging!

📷 Take photos to remember your day (if you can bear to take your gloves off!).

☕ And don’t forget to warm up with a mug of hot chocolate afterwards!

 

Winter Lawn Care

There’s a chance we’ll wake up to a few more frosty mornings before winter is out!

❄️ If your lawn is frosty, try to stay off it as much as possible, as walking on it can cause damage.

🌱 When the frost clears, gently rake leaves and debris from your lawn so the sun can reach it.

❄️ Clear any snow from your lawn so the sun can reach it, and the snow won’t damage it.

 

Stay Safe

🧹 Keep paths and patios safe to walk on by removing slippery moss and slime.

❄️ Stock up on De-Icing Rock Salt for your paths, driveway or patio. You can buy yours on our website in small or bulk bags.

❄️ Remove snow from hedges and greenhouses etc to prevent it from causing any damage.

🌲 Lay a good layer of Bark Chippings on wet and muddy gateways or unmade paths. It helps to absorb the water and makes paths easier and safer to walk on.

 

Happy Gardening!

 

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Prepare for the cold of winter – look after your garden and get it ready for winter!

Prepare for the cold of winter! Look after your garden and get it ready for winter!

 

Prepare for the cold of winter – look after your garden and get it ready!

 

As winter draws nearer, the weather’s definitely getting colder (and wetter)!

So while we’re not spending as much time in the garden, it’s still good for us to get outside for the fresh air and exercise.

Whether you simply take a short stroll around your garden, go for a longer hike, wrap up warm and get out there to beat those Winter Blues!

And of course, there’s always something to keep you occupied in the garden!

Here are a few of our tips:

Keep it covered!

Protect the soil in empty vegetable patches or flower beds from losing valuable nutrients, by covering them with weed control fabric, plastic sheeting or flat cardboard boxes.

Stay colourful!

Add evergreen shrubs and winter-flowering plants. Winter pansies are great for this!

Prepare for the cold of winter! Look after your garden and get it ready for winter! Oakley Turf Farm. Winter colour. Winter pansies flowers

Look after the wildlife!

Food is scarce at this time of year for birds, hedgehogs and lots of other garden visitors.

Supply birds with fat balls, seeds and nuts.

Keep water fresh and check it daily to make sure it’s not frozen.

If you haven’t dead-headed seed heads yet – leave for insects to feed from and shelter in!

Make or buy a hedgehog house! Even a safe spot under the shed will do nicely for them to hibernate in. Fill with leaves to keep them warm.

Wrap up!

Wrap plants that are vulnerable in cold weather in cloches, frost fleece or bubble wrap.

If you’re still using your greenhouse for growing, fix a layer of bubble wrap to the inside of your greenhouse to help keep plants warm.

Be Prepared!

In the heart of winter, it’s almost inevitable that paths and driveways will be icy and slippery. Something that can be really dangerous!

Slipping over on ice first thing in the morning isn’t the best start to the day, is it?! 🤦‍♂️

Luckily for you, we can help!

❄️ We supply De-icing Rock Salt in small and bulk bags. Perfect for keeping garden (and public) footpaths and driveways safe.

Why not club together with neighbours on a bulk bag of Rock Salt to spread the cost AND the safety?!

❄️ We also supply Filled Sand Bags. They are the most traditional form of flood defence for properties.

If your home or business is in a flood-risk area, stocking up on sandbags is a really good idea!

Prepare for the cold of winter! Look after your garden and get it ready for winter! Oakley Turf Farm De-Icing Rock Salt

 

After all, as any good Boy Scout will tell you, it’s better to Be Prepared!

Happy Gardening!

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Should you cut your grass in winter?

Should you cut your grass in winter?

 

 

Should you cut your grass in winter?

It’s pretty much accepted that when the weather gets wet and cold, (and the growing conditions for grass change), you can stop cutting your grass.

And some people look forward to the break! (Although we’re not sure we fully understand that here at Oakley Turf Farm!!😂).

What happens to grass in winter?

The air and soil temperatures cool, and the rate of grass growth slows.

In the depths of winter, grass takes a break and pretty much stops growing altogether!

BUT, here’s some food for thought…

Grass will still grow when the soil temperature is above 5° C.

Hence the Oakley Turf Farm motto…

🌱 “IF IT’S STILL GROWING – KEEP MOWING!” 🌱

In late winter/early spring, the grass will spring into action again and start growing. Often so fast that it seems like you can’t keep up with it!

So, if mowing your lawn isn’t your favourite job, enjoy the break over the colder months!

But, if it brightens your week, hang on in there and enjoy mowing your grass until it stops growing for the winter!

How can you care for your lawn in winter?

Although you won’t be using or mowing your lawn much in winter, you can still limit any possible damage.

❄️ It’s inevitable that at some point in winter your grass will have a covering of frost. Try not to walk on it until it’s thawed!

🍂 Gently rake leaves and debris from your lawn.

⛄ Clear any snow from your grass to avoid disease setting in. Sounds like the perfect excuse to build a snowman or two to us!

 

building a snowman

 

If you want a brand new, lush green lawn, don’t forget that, as long as the ground isn’t frozen, you can still lay turf in winter!

Happy Winter Gardening!

 

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Autumn Gardening Jobs in the UK!

autumn gardening jobs in the UK

Autumn Gardening Jobs!

 

As the nights start to draw in and the days get shorter, some of us might not think about gardening so much!

 

And while autumn is the perfect time to enjoy a hot chocolate, or something slightly stronger, from the comfort of your favourite armchair of an evening…

It’s also the perfect time to spend a few days doing some pre-winter jobs in the garden.

 

Here are our top tips for autumn gardening jobs:

 

🍂 Keep your lawn tidy!

Rake fallen leaves and debris from your lawn regularly.

This ensures that light and air can still get to your lawn and keep it in good condition.

autumn gardening jobs rake leaves from lawn
Rake leaves from your lawn.

 

🌹 Add compost or manure to beds and borders

Clear away any weeds and dead annuals.

Add a layer of compost or manure.

There’s no need to dig it in – the worms will take care of that for you over the winter!

autumn gardening jobs add compost or manure to beds and borders
Add compost or manure to beds and borders.

 

🌱 Scarify and aerate your lawn

Rake away dead grass, moss and weeds.

Aerate your lawn if you think it needs doing. It encourages the grass’s roots to grow deeper, which will give you a healthier, stronger lawn.

Fill in any bare patches with topsoil, seed or new turf if the patches are large!

Now is also a good time to give your lawn an autumn feed.

autumn gardening jobs scarify and aerate your lawn
Scarify and aerate your lawn.

 

🦔 Provide shelter for insects and hedgehogs to hibernate

Just like worms, animals such as hedgehogs and insects are really helpful in the garden. So it’s great to encourage them!

Hedgehogs will love a pile of leaves and twigs in a sheltered place where they can hibernate. Under the shed is a great spot. Or if you’re feeling flashy, you could make your own hedgehog house!

As well as leaves and twigs, log piles are great for insects and invertebrates.

autumn gardening jobs provide shelter for hedgehogs and insects to hibernate
Provide shelter for hedgehogs and insects to hibernate.

 

🔨 Check fences, sheds and greenhouses and make any repairs

Before the wet and windy weather sets in, check your fences, shed and greenhouse for damage. Make any repairs before they get worse!

autumn gardening jobs repair fences, sheds and greenhouses
Check fences, sheds and greenhouses and make any repairs.

 

🌱 Lay a new turf lawn

Autumn is the perfect time to lay a new turf lawn. So if you’ve been thinking of doing it, do it now!

Prepare the area well and lay your turf the same day it’s delivered.

Read our blog on how to lay new turf for tips and advice.

autumn gardening jobs lay a new turf lawn
Lay a new turf lawn.

 

 

Between doing your autumn jobs, don’t forget to stop, look around, and enjoy it!

The changing colours and the leaves falling to the ground (even if you have got to rake them up afterwards!) are a sight to behold.

Happy Gardening!