Latest news with #Akeroyd
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners urged to slice open UK supermarket kiwis but issued crucial warning
A gardening expert and best-selling author has shared a comprehensive guide to growing kiwis in your own back garden, all you'll need is a store-bought kiwi to start A gardening expert has shared a guide on how to grow kiwis in your own yard with a single store-bought kiwi. In a TikTok video, the expert shares step-by-step instructions on how to plant and grow your new fruit-bearing plant. The TikTok video comes from the account, simonakeroydgardener, which has over 800,000 followers and regularly shares gardening tips and tricks. The account is run by the gardening expert and author, Simon Akeroyd, whose latest book 'Grow Your Groceries: 40 Hacks for Growing Plants from Your Weekly Shop' is a Sunday Times and Irish Times bestseller. In the caption for the TikTok video, Akeroyd advises: ' Kiwis (in some countries they are called kiwi fruit) are climbing plants, so you will need a structure for them to grow up.' He also says there's another key component that is necessary for your kiwis to throve and that is a pollinator. Akeroyd writes that 'both male and female plants need to be grown if you want to produce fruit'. Thus, he advises that you trying growing a few seedlings to increase your chances of a successful crop. But Akeroyd confirms that kiwis are 'easy to grow' and you can do so by starting with a few kiwis purchases from the supermarket. But, anyone hoping to see fruit crops this summer may be disappointed - as the flowers can take years to produce fruit. Step 1: 'Cut a kiwi in half to reveal their seeds' Kiwi seeds are black in colour, rounded and edible. Step 2: 'Remove some of the seeds' As shown in the video, this can be done using the tip of a knife. Simply dig out a few of the seeds and place them on a dry paper towel. Step 3: 'Leave to dry for a few days' Drying seeds before planting them can increase the rate of germination. Step 4: 'Sprinkle the seeds over compost' As shown in the video, you can start off with a small pot for the initial stages. Step 5: 'Take a freezer bag and place it over the [planted] seeds' This acts as a mini- greenhouse, trapping humidity and speeding up the germination process. Step 6: 'Leave on a windowsill' Make sure your seeds get plenty of sunlight. According to Akeroyd, you should be able to see baby kiwi plants grow in a matter of a few weeks. Step 7: 'Prick out when they produce true leaves and [re-pot] to increase their size' Carefully, remove the full leaves - including stem - from your plant and put them in a larger pot. According to Akeroyd, you do need to wait a while before they produce fruit. He warned: 'It can take a few years for [the planted leaves] to produce fruit, but in the meantime they make beautiful ornamental climbing plants with large, attractive foliage.'
Daily Record
12-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Gardeners urged to plant £1.48 fruit and watch it grow in a pot
Households are being urged to try their hand at growing their own fruit and vegetables as the cost of groceries continues to rise Green-fingered Brits are being urged to take up blueberry growing in their back gardens in a bid to save on the weekly shop. With the arrival of warmer weather and the days stretching out, now is prime time to embark on those gardening projects. As food prices soar and household staples like fresh fruit and veg hit our pockets hard, gardening gurus are suggesting we try our hand at growing our own grub. And one gardening expert has shown it is possible to grow your own blueberries in a pot in the garden. Blueberries are a popular fruit amongst households thanks to their including improved brain function, heart health, and digestion. A 500g punnet in Tesco will set you back £4.30. While promoting his best-selling book 'Grow Your Groceries', which has been honoured by both the Sunday Times and Irish Times, gardening expert Simon Akeroyd shared a video on step-by-step guidance for nurturing your own blueberries, offering a savvy way to trim down your shopping expenses. His work offers a plethora of tips especially tailored to turning even the tiniest patches of green into abundant sources of produce, marking it as the go-to manual for novices keen on optimizing their garden's potential. In the brief but informative 50-second tutorial, having garnered a staggering 840k views and 29.2k thumbs-ups, Akeroyd illustrates how home-grown blueberries can flourish with just a modest pot, some common tools, and a bit of patience, reports the Mirror. In this highly viewed clip, Akeroyd instructs: "Place [the blueberries] in a freezer for a few weeks to stratify (chill) the seeds. Defrost, and then squeeze the berries, and remove the tiny seeds inside the berries." The gardener also stressed the importance of patience, as blueberries require time to properly grow and mature, but noted that homegrown produce is not only tastier but also extremely rewarding. Simon advised drying seeds overnight before placing them in a container with ericaceous (acidic) compost and scattering the seeds on top. "Leave on a sunny windowsill and soon baby blueberry seedlings will appear," he said in conclusion. Simon's tips for maximising garden space have earned him significant social media clout, with 801.5k followers on TikTok and 12.5m likes. The green-fingered guide is an author of over 30 gardening books and his videos often feature budget-friendly gardening tips, catering to both avid gardeners and novices. By adhering to these straightforward steps, you're setting yourself up to see a wonderful blueberry plant flourish in time, offering an endless supply of fruit. Patience is key for gardening success, and when it comes to blueberries, they're certainly worth the wait. Blueberries can last longer if you avoid a common step many people take when preparing and storing them in the fridge, according to chef and cookbook author Nathan Lyon. He explained that blueberries tend to spoil quickly, so it's not advisable to store them at room temperature. Two key rules are to refrain from washing them with water and to avoid storing too many in one container.
