Germination | 7-21 days |
Likes | Full sun and neutral - alkaline soil |
Watering | Drought tolerant but appreciates watering! |
Protect from | Slugs |
Harvest | 2nd year of growth, after flowering |
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Our new community dye garden and dye kitchen provides a sustainable local resource for community benefit focusing on nature, creativity and wellbeing. It offers a place to explore the relationships between nature and nature-based solutions to addressing climate change while promoting wellbeing and inclusion across the whole community.
A dye garden provides space for growing plants that can be used for their colour. Everything from onions, heather and willow to marigolds and chamomile can create amazing dyes for fabrics and yarns, and have been used for hundreds of years to dye our clothes.
The environmental benefits of a connection between what we wear and what we grow are well documented and relate closely to our local creative and agricultural industries in Shetland. We want people of all ages and backgrounds to be part of the dye garden and kitchen. You could attend a workshop on creating dyes, or volunteer to help grow plants in the garden, as part of a friendly group. No growing experience necessary!
Germination | 7-21 days |
Likes | Full sun and neutral - alkaline soil |
Watering | Drought tolerant but appreciates watering! |
Protect from | Slugs |
Harvest | 2nd year of growth, after flowering |
Germination | 6-12 days |
Likes | Full sun and fertile loamy soil |
Watering | Keep soil damp |
Protect from | - |
Harvest | 1st years leaves |
Germination | 9-21 days at 18-25 degrees Celsius |
Likes | Full sun and fertile wet soil |
Watering | Water well & feed |
Protect from | Frost |
Harvest | July onwards |
Germination | 4-8 days |
Likes | Full sun |
Watering | Keep soil damp |
Protect from | Slugs |
Harvest | Mature flowers |
Germination | 7-14 days |
Likes | Full sun, well-drained soil |
Watering | Keep soil damp |
Protect from | Slugs and wind |
Harvest | When flowering |
Germination | 21-28 days |
Likes | Full sun, well-drained soil |
Watering | Prefers drier conditions |
Protect from | - |
Harvest | When flowering |
Germination | 7-21 days |
Likes | Partial/Full sun, well-draining soil |
Watering | Regularly |
Protect from | Frost |
Harvest | When flowering |
Germination | Plant 2cm deep (so tip is just showing) |
Likes | Partial/Full sun, well drained, rich soil |
Watering | From the base of plant (not overhead) - only in prolonged dry spells |
Protect from | - |
Harvest | Before flowering (pick out flowers) |
We’ll be in touch, to ask you to return some of your seedlings to plant in the Dye Garden in June.
Keep an eye on your email nearer to the time.