June 2010
Hello to all you gardening buffs. Finally in the month of June we have a glimpse of warmer weather. With that in mind here are some tips to save water in your all important vegetable garden:
* Weeding- This prevents competition between the weeds and the vegetables.
* Mulching - This is a good water saver as it helps to keep the soil moist and the roots cool.
* Windbreaks protect against drying winds.
* Water early morning and late evening. This is the optimum time for plants to take up water without evaporation being in full swing.
If you don't have the means to grow seeds(although a window sill is just fine) you can buy young vegetable plants from your local garden centre which can be planted out now. These include leeks, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and summer cabbages to name but a few.
Still in the vegetable garden. Carrot root fly (CRF) seems to be causing problems with many gardeners. The CRF flies at a height of 21" so try growing carrots in containers. A good variety is Parmex which is more round than tapered!
The scent of the carrots attracts the flies therefore grow carrots beside strongly scented crops such as leeks, onions or garlic.
Try Enviromesh over your crops as this helps prevent small and large pests destroying your vegetables.
Elsewhere in the garden it is now safe (I hope) to plant out summer bedding without the risk of frost. Try mixing perennials such as Heuchera or grasses in containers alongside annuals to give a long lasting display.
Aubretias which have been delighting our walls in recent weeks can be trimmed back to encourage new growth for next year.
As always there are so many jobs to be done in June and the above is just a small selection of them. So enjoy your garden and keep talking to those plants!!
Laura Allison
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