Finally, a leading manufacturer has put together a group of effective, natural products and labelled them as such.  Up until now, there's plenty of organic plant food available, but when it comes to insecticides, ant killers and weedkillers you've often got to check the small print to find out that it's natural.

So far the Natria range consists of 6 new products:

• Natria Super Fast Weedkiller
• Natria Slug & Snail Control
• Natria Bug Control
• Natria All Purpose Plant Food
• Natria Compost Activator
• Natria Ant & Insect Control

There's three products I just want to 'rave' about, as they're particularly effective, and I much prefer them to their chemical equivalents.

Natria Slug & Snail Control contains ferric phosphate.  Okay, sounds like a chemical but then of course so is water (hygrogen+oxygen).  Ferric phosphate is a compound that occurs in nature.

So what makes it so special?  Well, it's the way it works.  Firstly, it's only effective against slugs, snails and molluscs - so there's no danger of it building up and harming birds, hedgehogs or other animals that feed on slugs.  It also means you don't have to worry about your cats and dogs.  Secondly, and quite impressively is the way it effects the slugs and snails.  Unlike traditional slug pellets, these pellets cause the slug to crawl deep into the soil to die.  So no more dead slugs to collect and dispose of.

Did I mention these pellets also biodegrade?  Ferric phosphate degrades into iron and phosphate nutrients which actually benefit the soil and plants.

Natria Super Fast Weedkiller pretty much one of the fastest weedkillers around.  The ingredient in this one is derived from chrysanthemums and effect the green tissue of the weed (leaves, stalks etc).  You can see results within an hour too - ideal if you've got a barbecue planned in the afternoon but haven't the time to pull all the weeds up before the guests arrive.

It also kills moss, which not all weedkillers will do.  As its effect is on the green tissue, it unfortunately doesn't go down to the root so some deep tapping weeds could grow back.

Natria Ant & Insect Control contains an ingredient made from starch and effects the exoskeleton of ants, earwigs, fleas, mites and other crawling insects.  The powder sticks to the ant which means it will be taken back to the nest and brushed against other ants making it an incredibly effective defence.

As it's such a natural product, it's perfectly safe to use in the home as well as out doors.  It's also one of the few ant killers you can use on your lawn.

Plant Me Now are excited to be a stockist for the Natria range you'll find it on our online shelves in early 2011

The Legal Bit

• Natria Super Fast Weedkiller contains natural fatty acids
• Natria Slug & Snail Control contains ferric phosphate
• Natria Bug Control contains natural fatty acids

Always read the label, use safely.

• Potato Blight - This is the most serious of all diseases that can affect your potato crop. Main symptom is appearance of brown patches on leaves with white mould fringe's on their underside and is most common during August in the wet season. There is no cure or treatment for this disease once it has taken hold of your crop so it is advisable to spray with a fungicide during July and September if growing a particularly susceptible variety.
• Slugs - Slugs tend to attack potato crops around August time and can be particularly damaging to maincrop varieties that are still in the soil. Using slug pellets can help keep the problem under control. Certain varieties are more susceptible to slug attacks.
• Wireworm - Wireworm is particularly common in new gardens during the wet weather and leaves your potatoes with a series of narrow tunnels carved through their flesh. Unfortunately there is no treatment available for the home gardener.
• Potato Cyst Eelworm - Recognisable due to weak appearance in plants, withering of lower leaves and obvious signs of halm dying down prematurely, there is no cure for this disease and all plants suspected of having it should be destroyed. In order to prevent this, ensure you rotate your crops and do not plant susceptible potatoes in an infected spot for at least six years.
• Common Scab - Whilst this disease does not affect the edibility of the potatoes as it onyl affects the skin it is unsightly and undesirable. There is no official treatment for Common Scab but ensuring you grow a resistant potato variety such as Wilja potatoes and do not lime the soil before planting you should be OK.

Storing Your Potatoes

Once you have harvested your potato it is important to store it correctly and in the right conditions. Potatoes should be stored in a frost free space where they are not in direct sunlight as this may turn them green and make them inedible.

The temperature should be moderate as too much heat will encourage them to sprout. When storing potatoes it is a good idea to check them periodically to ensure that any rotting or damaged potatoes are removed and cannot harm the rest of the crop.

So, What Now?

Once you have grown your potatoes it is completely up to you how you cook them. There are literally thousands of ways you can enjoy your potatoes but one thing is for sure; you're bound to enjoy them more having grown them yourself!

In cold conditions, frosty conditions in particular, garden plants that are damaged are usually recognisable due to their limp, blackened or distorted appearance. The reason for this is that extreme weather conditions such as frost can cause the water in the plants cells to freeze which in turn can damage the plants cell wall.

In many instances plants are damaged not by the frost itself but the damage caused when the plants rapidly defrost. Garden plants that are positioned directly in the morning sun are particularly vulnerable as the frozen water within their cell walls will defrost rapidly, in some cases causing the cells to rupture, causing serious damage to your plant.

The cold weather conditions can also spell trouble for evergreen or more tolerable garden plants as it may cause the soil to freeze. In prolonged cold spells the frozen ground will prevent the plants from extracting water through their roots which eventually effects the dehydration of the plant and in some cases causing the plant to die.

Like all situations in life, prevention is better cure when it comes to preparing for and taking care of your garden during the winter months but it is never too late to start protecting your plant from the elements. There are many methods that are thought to be effective in the battle against frost including moving some plants indoors, planting tender garden plants in raised beds and using protective fleece covers.

A simple and easy way to protect potted garden plants during the winter months is to wrap them in protective Fibre Fleece Roll. Typically made from non-woven insulation polypropylene and readily available from most online garden centres, this light but strong fleece lining roll is strong enough to protect fully grown garden plants and seedlings alike and importantly is a reasonably cheap solution to protecting your garden from frost damage.

For those of you with greenhouses the obvious way to protect plants in the winter months is to move them inside, especially tender or young plants that are not yet fully mature. But in extreme weather even greenhouses can become cold so it may be worth investing in some Insulation Bubble Wrap. Not only is this a great way to insulate and protect your greenhouse from frost damage but it also retains heat keeping your greenhouse at the right temperature.

There are also many other options for maintaining temperature levels in your greenhouse including the use of specially adapted greenhouse heaters. Available in a variety of formats including electric and gas powered, these heaters are suitable for use in both large and small greenhouses and have various heat settings enabling you to control temperature levels throughout the seasons.

Many, including the 2kW Electric Greenhouse Heater available at Plant Me Now, come with a cool air option and automatic thermostat and will leave you with change from £20! For those of you with small gardens and not much shelter for your plants you may want to consider investing in a mini greenhouse, which is essentially a scaled down greenhouse made with replaceable plastic covers as opposed to glass. Most mini greenhouses will come with some sort of polypropylene cover and will be reasonably easy to build.

Widely suited to smaller garden areas such as patios, balconies, courtyards and decking areas, a mini greenhouse can provide all the shelter and protection as their larger brothers especially during the winter months. Your mini greenhouse can be used to help protect tender garden plants in cold weather conditions and for extra protection most garden centres can now provide Protective Fleece Covers for mini greenhouses.