Old Pictures of Pot House Hamlet, Silkstone

Tom Horsfield's original wooden Potting Shed, at Pot House Hamlet in the 1970's
The Old Mill, the remains of the farm house gardens and Tom Horsfield's first wooden Potting Shed. The Potting shed cafe is now on the spot of the original Potting Shed circa 1970.

Horsfield Nursery Special offers this week

Special offers this week

• Tomatoes 10p each
• 6 pack sweet pea only 10p
• 6 pack bedding 99p
• Hanging baskets £16.99 each Two for £25
• Square and round pot bedding 39p each £2.99 for Ten
• Perennial Three for £12.99
• Wrought Iron racks and baskets 35% off
• Nicandra only 49p each
• French seeds 50% off
• Herbs 99p each
• Veg plants 99p each
• Large Fuchsia were £2.99 now £1.99
• Hanging flower towers were £9.99 now £1.99

Tom Horsfield Rose Grower and Nurseryman

There has been a lot of developement at Pot House Hamlet since these pictures of Tom Horsfield Rose Grower and Nurseryman with his staff were taken in the 1980's

For more information please visit http://www.pothousehamlet.co.uk/

Pot House Hamlet - Report on the industrial remains

Please click on the link below to view a report by By Rebecca Wake – A level Student. Created May 2008.

How Effective an Archaeological assessment can be made of industrial remains at Silkstone.

http://www.pothousehamlet.co.uk/Hamlet_Report.doc

For further information on Pot House Hamlet please visit http://www.pothousehamlet.co.uk

The Old Mill - Pot House Hamlet

The Old Mill, Pot House Hamlet, Silkstone around 1960

Feed back from the RICS Pro Yorkshire award 2008

A commemorative brochure has been produced to celebrate and showcase the greatness of building projects in the region, available from the Royal Institute of Chartered surveyors.

Here is a quote from the brochure about Pot House Hamlet who won the Commercial award

"The judges were particularly impressed by the developer's attention to detail and the way in which the refurbishment has been undertaken using sustainable materials in an innovate way. They also applauded the developer's courage in taking a speculative risk in a relatively unproven market. Overall, a very attractive development that has brought employment and investment to an area in need of rejuvenation"

Tomatoes with Emma Horsfield

Nothing beats a home grown tomato picked fresh from the vine and eaten while still slightly warm from the sunshine. I met my fiancé during the tomato growing season and every romantic dinner I used to cook for him involved tomatoes some way or another. From the bloody Mary cocktail to a basil and mozzarella beef steak tomato starter to a warm tomato tartlet or a main course of lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise or a salad tomato cous cous. It all involved tomatoes. My future mother in law used to live on a farm as a child, so every time I went to visit I took her a little bag of tomatoes too. When first courting, Charles my fiancé used to buy me lots of little presents on his visits and dates! One fond present which sits proudly on my book shelf is a tomato recipe book. So all in all tomatoes were a basis for a very happy future. So from my own experience and the love of tomatoes I urge everyone to grow tomatoes.

If you have a heated greenhouse tomatoes can be started as early as late January. If you are limited for space buy a small timesaver pack of tomatoes and you can prick your own out into little pots. Otherwise later in the season, March - May you can buy individual varieties of tomatoes. My favourites are some of the older varieties.

I find the best beefsteak is Big Boy, an F1 Hybrid, and Ideal for Outdoor Growing. I also rather like Tigerella another beefsteak which bears red and yellow stripes.
Good cherry tomatoes are Gardeners Delight which is heavy cropper with a sweet flavour and ideal for outdoors. Sun Baby is an F1 yellow cherry which is very sweet and does well indoors.

With gardens generally being smaller a bush tomato in a hanging basket or pot makes good use of space; Tumbler an F1 variety is excellent, and Gartenperle often known as garden perle is another favourite for baskets and pots as it is an early copper and gives plenty of fruit all season.

Good traditional salad tomatoes are, Ailsa Craig which is Greenback type.
Money Maker, gives a heavy and reliable crop, ideal for outdoors.
Shirley, an F1 Hybrid, heavy yielding and high disease resistance, ideally suited for medium and late crops. The best plum I have found is San Marzano, an Italian Tomato with firm flesh, ideal for canning bottling and cooking.

With all these tomatoes they are best eaten fresh straight from the vine when they have that slightly warm taste. All need regularly liquid feeding for maximum production. Why not give tomato growing a go.

Written by Emma Horsfield from Horsfields Nursery, Pot House Hamlet, Silkstone. For further information please visit http://www.pothousehamlet.co.uk/ or call Horsfields Nursery Tel:01226 790441