We don’t always like to do what’s good for us, especially if it involves concentrating. This is the genius of Rocket Gardens: they keep their charts, seeds, and polytunnels and deliver the fun part.
Photography courtesy of Rocket Gardens, except where noted.
A Large Vegetable Garden Box (£54.99) from Rocket includes 40 lettuces and 15 cabbages. Four tomato plants come ready-to-grow and besides the perennially popular Gardener’s Delight, there are heritage varieties with distinctive markings such as Black Russian and Tigerella.
Another clever aspect to Rocket Gardens is the packaging, with everything packed in useful straw (for adding to compost, lifting strawberries off the ground, adding to the chicken house).
Photograph by Kendra Wilson.
Photograph by Kendra Wilson.
Roots of onions are protected in paper bags during their journey. The whole operation has been carefully considered by its founder Mike Kitchen, who at 30 retired from his other job (involving deep water exploration in far-flung places) and moved to Cornwall.
Rocket Gardens operates out of the hugely scenic Helston in Cornwall, which inspired Daphne Du Maurier’s writing. It is warmer in this part of the country than most of the UK and vegetables are given an early start before being sent out.
Recent arrivals from an unpacked large vegetable box, having a drink in a glazed pot. Growing guides supplied by Rocket Gardens are, like the vegetables, very engaging.
Photograph by Kendra Wilson.
Photograph by Kendra Wilson.
Personally, I find myself pretending to know more about vegetables than I do. Now I have the paper grow guide from Rocket as well as their comprehensive digital resources to fall back on.
Since these instant gardens have been pre-conceived to get people involved in the process of growing, the varieties are unusually visual and flavorsome.
“Your plants may be a bit tired from their travels. This is quite normal, but as soon as possible, carefully unpack them all.” The opening lines of a summer romance.