RHS Registered Charity No:

222879/SC038262

KIDS GO FREE at the RHSGardens this summer

• Explore 4 glorious gardens • Discover the wildlife • Follow our exciting hunts & trails • Take part in our fun events

For more information and to find out what’s on visitwww.rhs.org.uk

GP08

RHS Garden Wisley Woking Surrey GU23 6QB Tel: 0845 260 9000

RHS Garden Harlow Carr Crag Lane Harrogate HG3 1QB Tel: 01423 565418

RHS Garden Rosemoor Great Torrington North Devon EX38 8PH Tel: 01805 624067

RHS Garden Hyde Hall Buckhatch Lane, Rettendon Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET Tel: 01245 400256

Bring along this ad for free entry for up to 4 children when accompanied by a paying adult. Valid until 31 August 2008.

No.1 Skyline ad.120x183:1 29/1/08 14:18 Page 1

...you find a property to improve and we’ll help you with the finance

www.ecology.co.uk 0845 674 5566

7 Belton Road, Silsden, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD20 0EE

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE An early repayment charge is payable if you repay all or part of this mortgage within the first four years
What to do in June in the vegetable garden.

n Remove side shoots from your tomato plants (unless the plant is a bush variety). If side shoots have grown as long as 10-15cm you can root these to create more tomato plants. Remove the first truss of flowers to allow plants to establish.

n Ensure you harvest indoor cucumbers on a regular basis to encourage them to set more fruit.

n Harvest the first beetroot, spring onions, radishes and salad leaves and don’t forget to plant successional sowings.

n Some of the early potatoes may be ready to dig this month. Maturity usually coincides with the opening of the flowers. Don’t forget to earth up those that are still growing. Check gardenorganic.org.uk for more information

Green homes of the future Imagine a home that has an energy consumption less than one sixth of a typical UK house - a home that saves waste, saves you money and saves the environment. German designed Baufritz homes come with energy efficiency as standard – achieved through healthy, natural construction and insulation materials – providing cost effective heating and a more comfortable room climate. See baufritz.co.uk for more information and images of these stunning homes.

House & Garden

Washing

up can be a

uniting activity fo r

the whole family.

Just add some

good tunes!

How to conserve water in and around your home this summer

Our top tips to dishwashing

n Always use the plug a running tap will put 6 litres a minute straight down the drain.

n Scrape as much food off pots and pans as you can to avoid the need to soak them first.

n Wash glassware and cutlery first in the cleanest water.

n Pile the draining dishes up before a quick dunk in half a basin of cold water.

QWhich is greener – a bowl full of hot water and a bit of elbow grease or a full dishwasher? According to research from the University of Bonn, the average household will do two or three hand washes a day using 60 litres of water, while a new dishwasher typically uses 12 litres per wash. Appliance manufacturer Bosch, keen to promote its ecocredentials, claims hand washing consumes around 26,400 litres of water per year compared to 2,640 litres for a dishwasher. Jacob Tompkins of Waterwise, waterwise.org.uk says washing up accounts for about

10% of a household’s daily water needs, but using a modern dishwasher could reduce this to less than 2%. He says: “If every household in the UK did this, it would save more than a quarter of a billion litres a day.” What this doesn’t take into account, however, is the total energy used to manufacture and run the dishwasher, the transport costs and raw materials used or handwashing habits. The jury is still out on this one but we recommend hand washing dishes as the ultimate in zen meditation and a good chance for the family to get together and help out!

How to save a precious resource We consume around 70 per cent more water than we did 40 years ago. Follow these tips to conserve this precious resource.

n Place a brick in the toilet cistern to displace the water and reduce the amount flushed down the loo.

n Install a water butt to harvest rainwater. Put out a request for a used water butt on freecycle.org or buy a recycled one from smithsofdean.co.uk.

n Repair tap leaks – as much as 15 gallons a day can be lost from a slow drip.

n Water your veg and flowers only when needed, preferably in the morning.

n Fully load the washing machine and dishwasher.

n Take a shower – a full bath holds 65 gallons of water, a five minute shower uses only seven.

The Green Parent 53