The Potting shed
- Now summer is in full swing it’s essential to ensure that beds and boarders are fed regularly to ensure that plants are in tip top condition to deal with the stresses of the summer.
- Deadhead perennials and roses to encourage the plants to continue to flower over longer periods.
- If the weather stays hot and dry grass will start to slow its growth rate down so raising your cutting height and frequency of mowing will ensure the grass stays greener for longer.
- It is still a good time to be growing vegetable seeds such as carrots and beetroot; ensure they remain well watered.
- Earth up potatoes to protect any small spuds from being exposed and turning green.
- Soft fruit should now be ready to harvest and ripening nicely, if the plants require watering, direct the water to the base of the plant as wetting the fruit can cause it to rot on the plant.
- Containers need a lot more care in the summer with lots of water and deadheading to keep them looking fresh.
- Keep tying up tomatoes and remove the side shoots to encourage the plants to flower and fruits to set.
- Feed tomatoes and cucumbers with a high potassium feed such as seaweed extract to boost the growth of the fruit.
- There is a lot of natural food available for birds at this time of year. Try to keep the spraying of bugs to a minimum if possible.
- Keep a check on ponds to ensure they don’t become engulfed with blanket weed or other invasive types that can affect fish and quality of the pond and its water.
It seems to be turning into a British summer hear in East Anglia, after a couple of months of very dry weather we have now had a torrent of storms and rain but its looking as if another dry spell maybe on the way. The garden has been desperate for the rain with us having more rain in two weeks than the last two months. Hopefully this next spell of warm weather will be interspersed with a few more frequent spells of rain.
“A weed is a plant that’s just in the wrong place.”