Welcome to our web site nursery news

On these pages we update what is going on at the nursery, what we have for sale and keep you up to date on the seasons growing with monthly hints and tips.

For updates on the dates for 2026 see News about our Shows for 2026.

If trying trying ‘Grow your Own’ for the first time, don’t be put off by a failure. As we have always said, each year is different, so never be put off by a bad years results. There is always next year, gardeners are optimists. A seed is a perfect symbol – small, full of potential, and with the right care capable of growing into something wonderful, even in challenging times.

There is always our facebook page to check for daily updates and each monthly mail shots for more information on growing month by month.

As always the nursery is open for the collection of all your vegetable plants as the seasons progress.

All our plants are grown using John Innes compost which is loam based. We use biomass boilers to heat all our glasshouses and use predator’s or a natural spray to control unwanted garden pests rather than a chemical spray.

Plants sent by mail order are packed using recyclable material.

We are committed to following the advice from the experts to deliver the highest standards of safety and hygiene for our staff and customers.

Registered on the APHA list of distance plant sellers. Plant Passport No.20404

We regret we cannot send any plants to Northern Ireland or the EU. 

 

Available now at the nursery we have

 Our full range of vegetable seeds

 Mammoth Onions and Mammoth Blanch and Pot Leeks.

Smaller varieties of both onion and leek plants.

 Cucumber, Melons, Tomato, Chilli Pepper and Sweet Pepper plants for greenhouses.

Range of Brassica, Celery, Lettuce, Herbs, Spinach, Chard and much, much more.

READY STARTED GARLIC. 

RHUBARB CROWNS.

 SEED POTATOES, ONION & SHALLOT SETS,

APRIL nursery opening times

Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm

Saturday and Sunday – 10am – 4pm

Jobs in the garden for APRIL here in the UK

Dear Gardeners

April marks a turning point in the gardening calendar. After a grey and chilly March, April steps up as the true start of the planting season. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts and be alert for frosts.

Even if you’re not planting just yet, preparing your beds now helps control weeds before crops go in. Sprinkle with general fertiliser, rake it in, and watch out for slugs, they’re waking up!

While it’s still early to sow French and Runner beans outdoors, some can be sown indoors for an early crop. your greenhouse will be bustling with seed trays.

If you’re planning to exhibit at local shows, April is when groundwork begins. These events thrive with support from exhibitors and visitors alike. You’ll find our own show schedule on the News pages of our website.

🌱 Outdoor Sowing and Planting

You can sow directly outdoors:

• Early Peas, Broad Beans, Beetroot, Turnips, and early Radish
• Spinach and Chard (if space is tight, though sowing indoors in pots give better results)

Mid April is ideal for planting potatoes. Onion and shallot sets can still go in. In warmer regions, sow early carrots, beetroot, and parsnips. Most root vegetables can be succession-sown until late May or June.

🌿 Indoor Sowing

Start indoors with:

• Winter Leeks, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Calabrese, Kale, Kohlrabi, Rocket, Swede, Turnip, Lettuce, Perpetual Spinach, Chard
• Herbs: Basil, Coriander, Parsley, Dill

With overnight warmth, sow:

• Tomatoes (for outdoor planting), Courgette, Pumpkin, Squash, Cucumbers, French Bean, Runner Bean, Sweetcorn

🌾 Planting Outside

Now’s the time for Mammoth Onions and Mammoth Leeks. Onions are hardier when young, so plant them first. Water well, especially under cover. Plant firm our 150 years of growing large onions has never required staking. They’re naturally self-supporting.

From April 7th, we begin dispatching Onion and Leek plants to UK customers in the south. They’re hardened off and ready to grow.

🍅 Planting Inside

From mid April, plant Tomatoes, Peppers, and Chillies in a cold greenhouse. Cucumbers can follow shortly after.

Why not try… Beetroot.

Beetroots are fantastically good for you. They contain a host of chemicals and compounds that are thought to improve cardiovascular health, protect against liver disease, regulate stomach acidity, and lower blood pressure. They are rich in foliate, vitamins B and C, and potassium. They can be harvested for their baby leaves as salad greens, and for their sweet, crunchy roots. These can be enjoyed as baby beetroots, or grown on to mature size for winter storage. The roots are peeled and then steamed or sliced and sautéed as a delicious vegetable dish. Many people enjoy them raw with vinegar. The pairing of sour vinegar and sweet beetroot makes them prime candidates for pickling. The golden beetroot is sweet and tasty eaten raw in salads. They can also be fermented to make a tasty wine, and of course, they are the key ingredient in borscht.

Compost choices

We use John Innes compost for all pots and trays No. 1 for seedlings and No. 2 for more mature plants. We never use No. 3 for vegetables.
A good alternative is mixing peat‑free compost with John Innes to combine water retention with lighter texture. Peat‑free composts do require more feeding.

🌼 Staying updated

We regularly update our Facebook page and the News page on our website with what’s happening at the nursery.

For nursery visitors we are open from 10am to 4pm every day.

Whatever the weather,

Good gardening.

The Robinson’s

 

W Robinson & Son (Seeds and Plants) Ltd

‘The Home of the Mammoth Onion’

Sunny Bank, Forton, Preston

PR3 0BN

01524791210

www.mammothonion.co.uk

e:  [email protected]

facebook.com/mammothvegetables

 

 A pest solution.

Use this simple garlic repellent to deter garden pests like aphids and slugs. It can also help eliminate powdery mildew on foliage.

Peel the cloves from a whole head of garlic and put in a food processor or blender with 235 ml of water. Purée the mixture (this takes about a minute in a regular food processor). Alternatively, chop or crush the cloves as finely as you can by hand and mix well with the water.

Add a further 700ml of water to the mix, along with 30ml of any liquid soap. Blend again and then transfer to a clean jar.

Leave the mixture to steep overnight, or for at least 12 hours, so that the garlic can infuse the liquid with its potent sulphur compounds.

Once the mixture has had time to steep, strain it through a muslin cloth or fine mesh strainer to remove the solid garlic pieces (which would otherwise clog the nozzle on your spray bottle).

Pour the garlic-infused liquid into a reusable spray bottle and store in the fridge between uses.

Mist plants in the evening, holding the spray about 15-30cm away from the foliage, and cover both sides of the leaves with an even coating of the garlic pesticide spray. Re-apply every few days (and after any rainfall) when your plants are suffering with an infestation, or once a week as a deterrent.

Garlic has a reputation for warding off vampires but it’s also effective against smaller blood-sucking creatures such as mosquitoes.

Add two-three crushed fresh garlic cloves to a food grade oil such as sunflower oil and leave to infuse for 24 hours.

The following day, add 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to the mixture, along with 500 ml water.

Strain the garlic, lemon and oil mixture through some muslin cloth or a fine mesh strainer to remove the pieces of garlic.

Transfer to a spray bottle and apply this natural repellent as needed to keep mosquitoes away.

 

Below is a guide for when to feed vegetables which we hope will be of help.

GENERAL RULES FOR FEEDING VEGETABLES.

All root vegetables…..  Never. If the ground is correctly prepared.

Brassica……    Never. If the ground is correctly prepared

Chilli Peppers….. When the fruit has started to set and swell well, never feed too early.

Courgettes, Marrows and Cucumbers…… When first picking starts.

Onions and Leeks……. Never. If the ground is correctly prepared.

Onions and Leeks for exhibition……. Never. If the ground is correctly prepared.  However they respond to a feed of Nitrate of Soda if a burst of growth is needed.

Peppers and Aubergines…….. When fruit is golf ball size.

Tomatoes under glass……. When the fruit on the first truss is pea size.

Tomatoes outdoors…….. When the fruit on the second truss is pea size.

NEVER FORGET PLANTS DON’T HAVE TEETH, THEY DO NEED WATER TO TAKE UP THE NUTRIENTS IN THE GROUND!  ALWAYS WATER THE GROUND WELL IN HOT DRY CONDITIONS.

 

W Robinson & Son (Seeds and Plants) Ltd

‘The Home of the Mammoth Onion’

Sunny Bank, Forton, Preston PR3 0BN

01524791210

www.mammothonion.co.uk         [email protected]

facebook.com/mammothvegetables