April 2011 News in the Gardening World

Gardeners have been using peat-based compost for a very long time, but now the Government and some well-known gardeners are working together to try to persuade the public to switch to peat-free compost instead. 95% of peat beds have been lost to peat extraction, which disturbs rare wildlife and releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some gardeners say that peat-free compost doesn't give the same results as peat compost, but recent surveys have shown that peat-free compost works just as well and some performed even better. Making your own compost helps too and most local authorities take away garden waste for composting, some will take food waste as well. You can then buy the compost in bags and use it for your own gardening needs, which in turn stops waste going into landfill sites and helps to preserve peat bogs and moors - a 10 metre deep peat bed takes 9,000 years to form!

That's right! Simply sign up for our email newsletters and you'll be entered into the draw to win this great prize. Toby Buckland, who has won many prizes and awards himself and was a recent presenter on BBC's Gardeners' World, will visit your garden to offer advice and plant a tree. PLUS you'll receive £1000 worth of Thompson & Morgan vouchers!

So don't delay, sign up today to get regular newsletters full of handy gardening tips and exclusive offers, as well as the chance to win this fabulous prize.

This competition has now closed.

Butterflies aren't the only minibeasts in danger, bee populations are in serious decline too. Plans are afoot to build so-called 'bee roads', with the first ones planned in Yorkshire, which will create corridors of wildflowers for insects. The hope is that other counties will do the same, all with the aim of saving bees from further decline.

You too can do your bit - gardens are just as important for bees and there are many plants you can grow to encourage them into your garden.

Every year we test about 950 flowers and vegetables in our Ipswich trial grounds, to ensure high quality plants and tasty, healthy crops of vegetables.

Then, in the summer, we hold our annual Open Weekend, where visitors can have a good look around and see what they can expect to find in the next catalogue.

According to experts, many of the UK's butterfly species are under threat of extinction. You can help to change this, by growing butterfly-friendly plants such as verbena bonariensis, buddleja, perennial wallflowers, lavender and majoram to provide a great source of nectar.

These will all be in bloom in July this year, when the Butterfly Conservation is conducting a Big Butterfly Count to get a better idea of what is happening to butterflies in the UK.

Sweet, juicy and delicious – it's no wonder tomatoes are a favourite choice among home-growers and Thompson & Morgan are proving that when it comes to tomatoes, we’re a one-stop shop!

The latest round of Which? tomato trials focused on baby plum tomatoes and Tomato Rosada was given top marks and the prestigious Best Buy accolade. Judges gave it the maximum five stars and commented on the vigorous plants that cropped for at least 13 weeks, were easy to train as cordons and, of course, came top in taste tests.

Why not try growing them yourself? Tomato Rosada seeds are available online now, priced at £3.19 per packet.!