Ready
steady Show
August is the month when the garden or Allotment is in full
production; flowers by the thousand delight the eye and nose. In the vegetable
plot many meals have been had from homegrown produce, with many more to come.
The courgette is a fantastic looking plant and if you plant
to many one can soon be over run with the blighters. I was recently asked when
does a courgette become a marrow?
The answer being that a courgette is always a courgette no
matter what the size because a marrow is a different cultivar all together. The
idea size for picking is the finger test, so if its as big as your finger then
its ready for picking. The flower is also edible; try stuffing the closed
flower with your favourite cheese mixed with garlic and basil, dipping the
whole thing in tempura batter and deep-frying.
For many gardeners who like to exhibit there produce there
are many local village shows to visit. On Bank holiday Monday the Stoke Fleming
Horticultural and Sports society will be holding its annual show now in its 135th
year. The day is made up of various activities including races for the
children, the hotly contested husband and wife three legged race and of coarse
the even more contested exhibiting of vegetables and flowers and home craft.
Placed at the end of the summer the exhibitor has the best
of both worlds in that it should not be to late to show summer flowers such as
sweet peas but also in good time to show flowers like dahlias and asters.
There are classes for residents of the village as well as
open classes for the premier exhibitors.
The trick with showing produce is having the right plants
producing the best quality vegetables and flowers at the right time, many is a
time I have heard the comment “ only last week every thing in the garden was
perfect and now I have hardly a bean to show”
The other comment bandied about on show day is “ my beans
at home are better than that”. So why not give it a go and enter your local
show? Schedules are available in most of the village shops.
Not to forget the Dartmouth and Kingswear Horticultural
societies Show on the 10th of September. Schedules available from
the Flavel and Gardentime.
It all makes for a great day out when old friends and
rivals can meet up and chat about the trials and tribulations of the garden.
Sowing
and planting
- Here in the Southwest
we can still sow quick maturing salad crops such as summer lettuce,
radish, rocket, sorrel, chicory and fennel.
- Continue to sow
spring cabbage, turnips, Oriental vegetables and over wintering onions.
- Sow green manures
such as crimson clover and Italian ryegrass to act as a soil improver and
to cover bare areas. When dug in, they conserve nutrients and improve soil
texture. These take in nitrogen from the air and process it into the
ground.
General
care
- Irregular watering
can lead to problems with blossom end rot in tomatoes, splitting of root
vegetables and flower abortion in runner beans. Help prevent this by
watering well during dry spells.
- Weeds can also
compete with vegetables for water, and act as hosts for pests and
diseases, so remove regularly by hoeing.
- Take care when
thinning out any late-sown carrot seedlings to prevent the scent released
attracting carrot fly females.
More gardening tips @ http://dartmouthgarden.blogspot.com
and http://earthgardencareanddesign.moonfruit.com
