Garden Tips For June…….By Keith Hichisson
Gardens are now looking very good because we had rain just in time. Unfortunately this was followed by an extremely hot spell but we also had a mixed blessing of some more rain over the bank holiday. If the rain does not continue plants will start to suffer, are we ever satisfied? Talking about looking good I visited the Swiss Garden the other day and since the restoration I don’t think I have seen it looking better. It is well worth a visit.
It is now safe to plant all the summer bedding plants and it also safe to put out tender vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and courgettes. Early potatoes will be ready to dig when the flowers start to open in mid-June. To prolong the harvesting period start by just scratching the roots and just pick enough for a meal leaving the rest to grow more.
When planting up tubs and baskets we should take steps to reduce the amount of water we use. First of all, if you are using moss to line a basket, cover the base with moss then place a pot saucer in the bottom to act as a reservoir. Next, mix water retaining granules and a slow release feed with the compost. The water retaining granules hold around 400 times their weight in water and can reduce the amount of watering in the height of the season from three times a day down to once. The slow release feed will feed the basket all summer so you will not need to feed on a weekly basis.