Feels Like Summer

Feels Like Summer

 

Well here we are again, early July and wondering what the weather is going to do?

As I write the long-range forecast seems to show that things are going to be changeable in July with high pressure in August hopefully bringing warm dryer weather. So don’t put the wellies away and keep the sun block handy is all we gardeners can hope for.

So watering will probably be needed at some point, always remembering not to over water. Onions are best not watered unless under drought conditions, this is because onions grown hard keep much better through the winter.

I have found the best way to have the weather work for you is to have plenty of organic matter in the ground or on it if you practice the no dig method. This helps to retain moisture as apposed to watering, roots head out into this moisture retentive layer in search of nutrients and a good root system leads to healthier and better vegetables.

Of coarse in wet spells watering by hand (far more better than using a sprinkler, this wastes more than is of benefit) is avoided, though weeds also thrive, so during dryer weather keep the hoe busy knocking back the worst.

I do bang on about the use of the hoe, it is one of my favoured tools, my current one resembles a flattened out 9 iron golf club, has sharp edges on three sides and is near perfect for the job of weed eradication. Hoeing in dry weather can save hours of hand weeding it also keeps the top layer of soil friable cutting out capillary action, so acts as a mulch preventing the drying affect of the sun and wind.

And of coarse there is so much said in the adage if you hoe when you don’t have weed you wont get any.

Another way to prevent moisture loss is by adding an organic mulch of well-rotted compost at a depth of 2-3 inches.

It used to be that July was thought to late to sow any more vegetables, but see the list below for some last minuet options.

I have seen Rocket sown in spring and bolt by late June or early July and though the seed packet recommends an early sowing the problem is that Rocket flowers at this time of year so it would seem that a later sowing about now or even as late as August would provide better results, with wild rocket being a better option, as it will survive a mild winter as a perennial especially if grown under cover.

 

 

Sowing and planting

• Sow spring cabbage, turnips, Oriental vegetables, chicory, fennel, and autumn/winter salads.
• Carrots can still be sown, but beware of carrot fly when thinning existing seedlings.
• Last chance to sow French beans and runner beans (south of England only).
• Plant out leeks and brassicas for a winter supply, if not yet done.

General care

• Ensure all vegetables get a regular, consistent supply of water. This will aid healthy development, and help to avoid diseases, disorders and bolting.
• Continue to hoe off weeds in dry weather. Done in wet weather, the weeds are liable to re-root.
• Climbing beans may also need stopping, to maximise cropping on existing side shoots. Stop them when they reach the tops of their supports.
• Beans need sufficient watering to help the seedpods set.
• Check climbing vegetables are securely tied to supports.

 

Higher Ground

Higher Ground

 

I was recently talking to some one who was interested in getting an allotment,and as the conversation ensued it came to light that they had the impression that once all the digging and planting was done it was just a case of popping back once a week to harvest bucket loads of lovely fresh veg.

After pointing out that it was not that simple, the talk turned to vegetables that could be planted and left to get on with it. So as time went on the list started to get longer and longer.

As a matter of fact there are dozens of perennial vegetables from every corner of the vegetable world to choose from, and to suit all sizes of garden, including salad leaves, brassicas, roots, onions and edible flowers.

If you’re looking for something architectural, you could do worse than globe artichokes, with their ragged grey/green leaves and towering flowers. It not only looks a treat, but the flesh of the immature flower heads is delicious.

There are wonderful perennial alternatives to the staples – of the many perennial onions, my favorite is the welsh onion. Similar to a spring onion but a real perennial prop forward of an onion.

And if you’re looking for an alternative to the potato, try oca, another South American tuber that resembles a new potato but tastes a little lemony when just picked, sweetening if matured in the sun, and immune to blight. Beware though Oca is a member of the Oxalis family and though having pretty flowers it can be invasive. 

Jerusalem artichokes are a member of the sun flower family though the flower is much smaller. I once grew these as a wind break to help shelter an exposed plot, but as you might know once eaten you tend to end up with break wind.

Ruby or rainbow chard can bring a splash of colour to and garden plot, it makes a good alternative to spinach.

Most of the herb family are generally considered perennial or of coarse shrubby. With Bay,Rosemary and sage giving colour to the garden in winter.

Then there is the matter of soft fruit. Rhubarb, an old favorite of mine gives one of the first harvests in the spring. Then on to the berry and current families and not forgetting the queen of summer fruit the strawberry.

Of coarse there is no point growing food that you don’t eat or even like but with some planning and initial ground work followed by copious mulching.

So one could have a plot that need minimal care through the season. But also be a thing of beauty and even be planted amongst the flower border

 

Sowing and planting

• Sow French beans, runner beans, squash, cucumbers and pumpkin seeds directly into prepared beds outside. Be alert to late frosts (for which a covering of horticultural fleece should provide sufficient protection).
• Sow sweet corn outside in blocks, at least 45cm (18in) spacing, with two seeds per hole. The strongest seedling can be selected later.
• Sow purple sprouting broccoli for harvesting next winter.
• Other young plants can be planted out once conditions are suitable, and once they've been hardened off

 

General care

• Earth up potatoes when the shoots are 23cm (9in) high, in order to prevent the new tubers going green
• Start to remove side shoots from cordon tomatoes as you see them. The side shoots develop in the leaf axils (i.e. between the stem and leaf), and if allowed to develop will sap the energy of the plant and reduce the quality of the yield.
• Peas need staking with pea sticks, netting, or pruned twigs from the garden.

 

 

General tasks in the fruit garden

• Make sure fruit isn’t drought stressed, especially those in containers, against a wall or newly planted.
• Make sure bees can access caged and cloched fruit flowers to ensure pollination.

Go Wild in the country

Go Wild in the country

 

Spring usually arrives by mid-March and the frequent sunny days provide the opportunity for an increasing range of gardening tasks. It's time to get busy preparing seedbeds, sowing seed, cutting back winter shrubs and not all ready done so, generally tidying up around the garden.

The long winter that seems to have lasted since way back in August, remember all that cold wet weather. And yet despite the bone chilling east wind through Febuary our gardens are trying to inform us that spring has sprung. Daffodils have been flowering for two to three weeks and I spotted a Forsythia and Prunus showing colour in mid Febuary.

The cold dry weather can provide opportunity to get on the flowerbeds and finish of any pruning and cutting back of things such as perennial grasses like Miscanthus. Spot weeding is also a good idea picking out those weeds before they get chance to flower and set seed. After one has tidied the bed remember if the bed borders a lawn, get out the edging shears you sharpened and oiled last autumn and trim the lawn edge. It is not to early to top off the lawn, leaving the setting of the blades one or two notches higher than your normal summer cutting length.

In the vegetable garden as long as the conditions permit below you will find a long list of tasks that could be undertaken.

I have often been asked when is the best time to dig over the veg patch?

I usually take the lead from the farmers as when, I’m driving along one of the areas many lanes looking at the back end of a tractor and plow, then its time to flash up the Renovator.

 

 

Top 10 jobs this month

1.     Plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes

2.     Protect new spring shoots from slugs

3.     Plant summer-flowering bulbs

4.     Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials

5.     Top dress containers with fresh compost

6.     Mow the lawn on dry days (if needed)

7.     Cut back Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow) grown for colourful winter stems

8.     Weeds come back in to growth - deal with them before they get out of hand

9.     Start feeding fish and using the pond fountain; remove pond heaters

10. Open the greenhouse or conservatory doors and vents on warm days

Sowing and planting

• Plant onions, shallots.
• Plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers.
• Chit early and main crop potatoes.
• Sow seed outdoors in mild areas with light soil, eg: broad beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, onions, lettuces, radish, peas, spinach, summer cabbage, salad leaves, leeks, Swiss chard, kohl rabi, turnip and summer cauliflower. Be guided by the weather, and sow only if conditions are suitable.
• Sow seed indoors of sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, celery, salads and globe artichokes.

General care

• Cultivate and prepare seedbeds, covering them with clear polythene or fleece to warm up the soil before sowing.
• Protect early outdoor sowings with fleece and polythene.
• Feed crops that have been standing all winter.
• Put supports in place for peas.
• Start preparing runner bean supports and trenches for sowing (in May) or planting out (in June).
• Try to avoid digging in wet weather, but if gardening on wet soil, work from a plank of wood, to avoid treading on the bed and compacting the soil.

 

California Dreaming

California Dreaming

All the leaves are brown will surly not be a fitting analogy of what we can look forward to in this autumns palette, according to the Royal Horticultural Society as it is predicting a spectacular display of autumn colour this year due to the wet summer and recent warm sunny weather.

RHS Garden Wisley Curator, Colin Crosbie says, “The wet weather over the summer helped trees produce large volumes of leaves and rather than shed them, as they would do in a dry year, they have retained them. Increased sugar levels in trees as a result of the recent lovely warm sunny days we have been enjoying will also boost autumn colours.

“As the weather starts getting cooler and the chlorophyll that gives leaves their green colour begins breaking down it will expose yellow, orange and red pigments that, as long as we don’t get heavy rain or winds, should provide an incredible display of colour from trees this autumn.”

I have noticed the cold temperatures at night and warm days have started the process of leaves turning in the gardens and woods around the south hams. Ornamental trees will begin to show glorious autumn colour first, with natives such as oak trees and beech providing further spectacular sights later on in the season.

So an afternoon cruising along the river dart or walking at Gallants bower above Dartmouth Castle or a romp through Longwood in Kingswear will be richly rewarded.

But what to do with all of those leaves for surly a vast amount of sweeping and leaf blowing is on the cards. Well don’t burn them, though the smell can evoke memories of child hood, the best use will be to compost as many as one can get your hands on.

Leaf litter is nature’s way of taking care off its own, just scrape away the top few inches of soil in the woods to discover how the soil is fed.

A leaf mould bin is easily constructed from four wooden posts and four meters of medium gauge chicken wire, fill the cage with leaves and keep topping up as leaves are gathered.

It’s a good idea to cover the top with a square of old carpet to stop the gathered leaves blowing out.

Good quality, well-rotted leaf mould (more than two years old) can be used as seed-sowing compost, or mixed equally with sharp sand, garden compost and good quality soil for use as potting compost.

Poor quality leaf mould, or leaf mould that is less than two years old can be used as mulch, soil improver, autumn top-dressing for lawns, or winter covering for bare soil.

 

 

Sowing and planting

• In sheltered spots you can sow over wintering broad beans in situ . Cover the trench with fleece or cloches to provide insulation in colder areas, as well as protection from pigeons.
• Carrots and peas can still be sown in cold frames, but only in mild areas.
• Plant out spring cabbages if not already done. Remember to net them for protection from pigeons.
• Finish planting autumn onion sets for a crop in early to mid-summer next year.
• Plant garlic cloves.

General care

• Dig up outdoor tomato plants and hang them upside-down in the greenhouse to allow the fruits to ripen. Any that don’t ripen can be used green in chutneys.
• Cut back asparagus foliage if not already done last month. Take care of the spines, and give the plants some mulch afterwards.
• Now is a good time to get ahead and prepare new asparagus beds for planting up in the spring.
• When clearing old pea and bean plants, simply cut off the tops for the compost heap, and dig the roots into the soil. They return valuable nitrogen to the earth, acting as a natural fertiliser.
• October is a good time to tidy up the plot by digging over vacant areas of the vegetable plot, and composting any green waste but avoid any seed heads of plant like poppies and tenacious weeds as these will not die off in a cold heap.

 

 

Life is a roller coaster

 

So summer has been a non event and at the time of writing we still await team GB’s first gold medal. So here are a few highs and lows from the allotment plot.

 

A few weeks ago the blight did for my tomatoes. Brown patches appeared on the leaves, and stems, idid not wait to see how far it would develop and as I share tunnel space and not wishing to be the cause of further infection, I took the drastic step of removing the fourty or so plants and burning them.

 

Normally blight tends to infect tomatoes and potatoes grown in open ground, but as I said my plants were under cover, with this summer being so wet and humid the blight virus is so active it is affecting plants grown in doors.

 

All was not lost as I had a dozen pepper plants ready for potting up, so the ground was cleared and prepted and the peppers planted. I will also sow a mixture of winter salads and herbs to grow on for use later when the weather out side gets to cold.

 

It would seem that this summer has been a wash out and all of the things we hoped for on the plot have not neccesary worked out. First of all small seed would not germinate and even when vegatables like spinach did start to grow it soon ran to seed.

 

But this can be turned in to a plus, for allowing some herbs and flowers to do this can be a positive, such as caraway, dill , fennel and poppys can all be havested dried and either used next year for sowing or be used in the kitchen.

 

But all is not lost, the weath weather has helped to settle in the new raspberries planted earlier this year now is the time to remove spent canes on summer-fruiting raspberries and loganberries and train in the new for next year.

 

Autumn fruiting raspberries can be cut back later aftre fruiting.

 

Also new fruit trees have been able to get there feet well in and are set to grow away next

year.

 

This year I have grown all of my onions and shallots from seed and though the start was slow they are now beginning to move away. I sowed three or four seeds per modual and did not thin but planted out each cluster 6 inches apart and am now very gently pulling the largest  for current use and allowing the others to grow on for lifting later to eat during the winter.

 In the past I have grown onions from sets, these are heat treated baby onions, and in general yealds have been good they tend not to store to well and rot.

 

This  technique of growing is a method I learnt from Charles Dowding the new vegatable guru. And so far apeares to work, I shall leyou know if we are eating onions through the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sowing and planting

• There is still time to sow quick maturing salad crops such as summer lettuce, radish, sorrel, chicory and fennel, rocket. These can be sown between rows of winter vegetables like leeks and kale.

 

• Continue to sow spring cabbage, turnips, Oriental vegetables .

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 and weeding.
• Marrows should be raised off the ground slightly, to prevent them rotting from contact with the soil. Some older leaves can be removed, if necessary, to maximise sun upon the fruit.

 

The boys are back in town.

The boys are back in town.

 

 “As I sit and write looking out over the Dart estuary the sky is grey and the rain is falling and has been since the early hoursof this morning, “

This time last year I began the column with the above statement, and strangly enough the same applies as I begin to write now.

It’s no wonder the English talk so much about the weather for we surly have an abundance, already this year records have been broken, including the wetest droute on record.

The false spring in March has caught out many of us for the cold rain in April stopped all growth dead, and it was not untill mid May when the night time temprature rose above 10 degrees some thing vital for steady growth in young plants.

Any how things are now on the move thank goodness.

Over the Jubilee weekend our new pigs arrived this is always a sign that summer is on the way and brings great merryment to the alotmenteers and visitors as the piglets run about. For they very soon understand that people equal food.

It was mentioned that as they arrived on the bid royal weekend, how about naming them after the current males of the Windsor house hold, with the small ginger piglet being Harry, But Nick pointed out that naming live stock is not a good idea for it makes thing a little difficult when one faces it on the plate. So They are just referd to as the boys.

I recently attended the Arts and Craft Garden festival at Coombe Trenchard. Coombe Trenchard is an Arts & Crafts style houses in a peaceful parkland setting, and. its gardens, left largely undisturbed for decades.

The Owners mission is to restore the gardens to their Belle Epoque glory and to share with others the pleasure in seeing the restoration progress and to enjoy the results. Part of the plan is the Arts and Craft Garden festival, now in its second year and now sponsered by Gardens Illustrated Magazine.

The Summer normally gives great opportunity to visit gardens around the south west. The lost gardens of Heligan and the recently restored walled garden at Knights hayes being two fine examples.

 Along with the many of pivate gardens opening there gates for charity.Thes may be found in the Yellow Book which lists all gardens through out the country that open. It’s always good to see what others are up to in the garden and more often than not you will come away with a few ideas for your own plot, The tea and cakes are pretty good to.

 

Sowing and planting

• Sow spring cabbage, turnips, Oriental vegetables, chicory, fennel, and autumn/winter salads.
• Carrots can still be sown, but beware of carrot fly
• Last chance to sow French beans and runner beans (south of England only).
• Plant out leeks and brassicas for a winter supply, if not yet done.

General care

• Ensure all vegetables get a regular, consistent supply of water.
• Continue to hoe off weeds in dry weather. Done in wet weather, the weeds are liable to re-root.
• Don't forget to stop cordon tomatoes by removing the main shoot. Look for the leaf that's above the fourth truss (set of developing fruit) and cut it off here.
• Climbing beans may also need stopping, to maximise cropping on existing sideshoots. Stop them when they reach the tops of their supports.

 

 

Tree fruit

• Continue training fan-trained trees.
• If necessary, prune cherries straight after harvest.
• Check tree ties as tree trunk girth increases.

Soft fruit

• Water cranberries and blueberries regularly with rainwater.

Complete summer pruning of gooseberries and red/white currants.

What’s going on?

What’s going on?

 

The recent strange weather has certainly played havoc in the garden. The early dry spring set every thing in motion about two to three weeks early; in our yard we have a fan trained apple tree

With early flowering clematis climbing through it and already it has climbed the height of the trellis. Gardeners in the southwest experienced more frost damage to established shrubs and plants because of the earlier warm weather and then a return to the norm, this will probably cause no lasting damage as young foliage will be soon replaced with the vigorous growth brought on by more seasonal weather as the year moves on.

 

 

Dittisham plums has for many along year been the talk of the town in high summer when baskets of them appear for sale at many a garden gate in the village from were they hale and is believed to have been unique to village for several hundred years. The plum was only ever grown in the area, and indeed is named after it.

One potential theory to its origin is that they have their basis in the German “Pflaummen Baum” Plum, and trees bought from Germany by monks in the middle ages. A contrasting theory is that the plums arrived by sea and either dumped in the village by a sea captain unable to sell his cargo or washed up the River Dart from a wreck, salvaged and planted by villagers.

 

 

The thought is should the Dittisham plums go the way of the Cornish pasties, (no not to be taxed by the chancellor) and the Melton Mowbray and achieve Protected Geographical Status.

Any way now is the time to turn our attention to pruning our plumb trees and other stone fruit.

 

Plum trees do not require as precise pruning as apples and pears, but still benefit from initial training and the thinning of old wood to ensure they produce as much fruit as possible. Plums are pruned in early spring or mid summer to avoid infection by silver leaf disease.

 

The bush is perhaps the most popular method of training and pruning and creates an open-centred tree with a clear stem of 75cm (2½ft). Its ultimate size will depend on the rootstock it is grown on.

The overall aim of pruning is to create an open-centred tree. This begins with the same formative pruning as apples and pears. Pruning is mostly limited to removing crossing, weak, vertical and diseased material.

 

 

 

Jobs for the month

• Sow French beans, runner beans, squash, cucumbers and pumpkin seeds directly into prepared beds outside. Be alert to late frosts
• Sow sweet corn outside in blocks, at 45cm (18in) spacing, with two seeds per hole. The strongest seedling can be selected later.
• Sow purple sprouting broccoli for harvesting next winter.
• After all risk of frost has passed, plant out tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins that were previously sown under cover.
• Young plants can be planted out once conditions are suitable, and once they've been acclimatised to the colder outdoor conditions over a week or two.

•  Earth up potatoes when the shoots are 9in high, in order to prevent the new tubers going green. Earthing-up is the drawing up of soil around the stems of the plants, leaving just 2inof shoot uncovered so that the plant has enough foliage to continue growing.
• Start to remove side shoots from cordon tomatoes as you see them. The side shoots develop in the leaf axils, and if allowed to develop will sap the energy of the plant and reduce the quality of the yield.
• Thin out sowings of Florence fennel made last month. The final spacing should be 8in, with 18in between each row.