Autumn 2025 Welcome to our Green Shoots Project 🌱 Introduced in 2021, The Daisy Garland Green Shoots project has been specially designed to inspire children and young adults with complex epilepsy to get outside and practice a bit of ‘green therapy’ by sowing seeds and growing nutritious low-carb vegetables and edible flowers. This year, 70+ families we support have signed up to be part of this exciting sensory project, with many more joining us along the way, and we look forward to charting their progress here on our website and The Daisy Garland Facebook page over the coming months. This project has been made possible through funds raised and donated by our Daisy Garland fundraisers and supporters. We are enormously grateful to each and every one of them. The sun's still warm but there's a welcome freshness in the air. A walk around the allotment fills my basket with apples, juicy blackberries (thoughts of making jam), the last of the ripe tomatoes and ruby red beetroot for lunch, a bunch of jewel-like dahlias and pretty comos for the kitchen table. Autumn has arrived! And here's what our Green Shoots 🌱 families are discovering in their gardens: "Green Shoots Update. The garden has gone a bit wild here but a few gems hidden amongst the giant leaves and nasturtiums that have self seeded everywhere." Mary "The garden's buzzing with life at the moment 🐝 my brain's ticking over with all the things that we can do thinking of keto food Bean likes still." Claire We are loving this project and being a part of it. Isabelle and Erika "Today was a good day - our first radish and red pepper! I couldn't get the radishes right and had virtually given up, but I spotted it when watering our flower seed bomb! The seed bomb seems to have had a growth spurt, too This is our first tomato without blight, and there are several more peppers growing. I found the cucumber when giving the plant some much needed TLC I still need to find some extra tall canes, as it's taller than me now! Poppy is very proud of her plants " Hannah Click HERE for our yummy Garlic Roasted Radishes Recipe Keto-friendly blended red pepper recipe HERE! "We've had a bumper crop xx" Kim 🍅 What to do with a glut to tomatoes? Click HERE for a yummy Minced Beef in Tomato Sauce recipe. "Today's garden haul, Bean still loves courgette chips." Claire Find the recipe for keto-friendly Courgette Chips HERE! "Jacob picking and testing his tomatoes. Excellent taste, let's wait for more to ripen 🍅🍅🍅 " Lynn Click HERE for a keto-friendly tomato soup recipe 🍅 "When green shoots turn red! Chutney cooking time " Erika "I think these are the last of the cucamelons. Any ideas for what to do with green tomatoes?" Francesca Click HERE for this yummy Cucamelon Salad recipe. "Morning, the girls picked the beans! Look how lovely they came out!" Sadia The Daisy Garland Green Shoots project is a whole family project. Mary "Teddy and Robert love growing with The Daisy Garland. Also featuring the beautiful daisies which surprised us in the summer after not making an appearance last year " Lauren "We have had a disaster with the edible crops this year so I decided to clear the raised beds for a fresh start. Imagine my surprise when I found a carrot and some spring onions. The ant is there for scale " Rosalind "Green shoots update from us. We’ve got an allotment now, this is today’s harvest. We’ve got onions, courgettes, carrots, beans and peas, brocolli and cauliflower, potatoes, and a huge apple tree that was already on the allotment when we got it. Then at home we have strawberries, raspberries and blackberries tomatoes and more apples!! " Samantha "Autumn is the season that just keeps giving and giving..." Sara xx "We had an unfortunate incident with a toddler digging up our shoots while we were at school/work and most didn't survive. So we replaced the tomatoes with yellow ones which are really sweet and tasty. Some lessons have been learned regarding carrot planting, more space and deeper planters needed for a better crop overall but we have had some good ones! For some reason the flower bombs didn't really grow, we think the 3 year old might have had something to do with that too , also perhaps our planters are in the wrong position which might not have helped, so we'll have to rethink that. At least the little trouble maker will be a year older next year and slightly less destructive , all the kids have enjoyed using the sausage dog watering can and helping to plant the seeds, so it's been a lot of fun. We're looking forward to the spring flowers popping up again in a few months! xx " Emma 30th September and our Daisy Garland 'Tree of Hope' is still hanging onto it's green leaves! A little brown and crispy around the edges, but they're definitely not budging! Click HERE to learn more about our Daisy 'Tree of Hope', planted to mark our 20th Anniversary earlier this year 💜 "All Green Shoots harvested, autumn's here, thus Anna cleared our garden today." Jan "Green shoots update 🌱 We finally have beautiful harlequin sunflowers. Thank you xxxx" Rosalind "Congratulations on the arrival of our baby pumpkin! 🎃 " Sara "Green Shoots! Isi digging up spuds and carrots with me after school!" Sarah "Catching up on Green Shoots from already ended September We planted some beetroot, spring onions and lettuce for Autumn/Winter. There are still some pickings of tomatoes and chillies from the greenhouse and we had a huge rhubarb crop after the rain. Still waiting for pea pods to ripen from the our second batch of peas. Pumpkins are sitting on the bench and waiting for the spooky time. It feels quite autumnal now. Soon will be planting out some garlic and more greens for the winter . " Erika "We just had some Green Shoots tomatoes for lunch today … didn't snap in time for here so sharing a picture of Jonty’s incredible grape harvest this September - which we shared at church on Sunday " Iona For a splash of colour and a touch of whimsy, why not repurpose an old pair of wellies as planters? If your old wellington boots have become cracked and leaky, there's no need to bin them. Instead, recycle your wellies turning them into fun little welly planters adding a splash of colour to your garden. Their size makes them ideal for smaller spaces like steps and windowsills – and being waterproof, they’re perfectly suited to life outdoors, no matter the weather. Before you begin making your welly planters, there’s a few things you’ll need: Old, leaky wellies A drill Stones or pebbles Compost Bulbs (seeds or plug plants work well too) Watering can Step 1 - Wash the wellies in warm soapy water, removing any loose insoles. Step 2 - Drill or poke a few small holes into the sole and maybe even around the edges of the boot, for good drainage. Even if they’re already cracked and leaky, there may not be enough holes to allow water to escape. Step 2 - Add a layer of pebbles or small stones to the bottom of the wellies to assist drainage and to weigh the welly down. Step 3 - Fill the wellies with a good quality potting compost, ensuring it reaches right down to the toe of the boot leaving enough space at the top for the bulbs and a bit of extra soil. Step 4 - Plant the bulbs at the correct depth for their size, usually 2 - 3 times the height of the bulb, planting with the pointy bit up. Gently firm the compost and water thoroughly. Step 5 - Place the welly planters in a bright spot with adequate sunlight and wait for those little Green Shoots to appear 🌱 Top Tip: Don’t forget to water your bulbs, but be careful not to overwater - you don’t want those little bulbs to rot. Watch this space for more updates coming soon! Manage Cookie Preferences