SIX OF THE BEST Accessories for growing plants

Cultivating your own plants from seed is so rewarding! These handy bits of kit will help you grow from seed, to seedling, to potting on…

1. Paper Pot Maker

Make your own sturdy, biodegradable seedling pots from recycled newspaper. Seedlings can be planted directly into the ground without being removed from their pots. The set makes three different pot sizes 3cm, 4.75cm and 6cm. Burgonandball.com, £12.99

2. Garden Grow Wooden Two-Tier Potting Bench

Sow seeds, take cuttings and pot on seedlings on the top shelf of this useful potting bench. The lower shelf can be used to store trays and garden tools so they are always close at hand. Thompson-morgan.com, £49.99

3. Suttons 1806 Red Seed Tin

Featuring a beautiful design from the Suttons archives, this beautiful metal tin enables you to keep all your packets of seeds in one place. Suttons.co.uk, £11.99 on its own or £14.99 with eight packets of vegetable or flower seeds

4. Garden Gear Heated Propagator

Give seeds and cuttings a boost by starting them off in a propagator. The heated base transfers gentle heat to the compost, creating the perfect environment for germination and propagation. A large air vent provides good ventilation. Thompson-morgan.com, £26.99

5. Gardener’s Deluxe Essentials Kit

This kit contains all the essentials needed to grow your own edible or ornamental plants: one seed dibber, ten biodegradable pots, ten wooden plant markers, a pair of vintage-style flower scissors and a pocket-sized reel of gardener’s twine. Notonthehighstreet.com, £19.95

6. Peat-Free Multi-purpose compost

Make this the year you switch from using peat-based compost to peat-free compost. Peatland landscapes store carbon, help control flooding and create homes for wildlife. CO2 is released into the atmosphere when it is extracted from the ground, which accelerates climate change. Available from all Dobbies Garden Centres, £5.99 per 25L.