10 February 2025
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Ruth finds that there’s lots to do, from dawn til dusk
Much as I would wish to expend the tail - end of July sit in a suspect nook in the garden with a glass of something cool and an unputdownable novel , there is workplace to be done !
The days start with watering , if needed , because this is one of the secure time to give your plant a drink , as the air is still coolheaded and moisture is slower to disappear . If I do n’t have time to water first matter I ’ll waitress until the evening when , again , the air is cool .
This summer being what it is , it ’s strong to anticipate what the weather will work to the garden . Even if we do get heavy rain after a wry spell , plants may still need additional watering because rain can simply roll off very teetotal soil or not souse down enough to bring any benefit .
Give plant a effective soaking when you water , using grey piss from the washing up or harvested rainwater if possible . It ’s much better to give them a proper dip a couple of times a hebdomad than a light scattering every twenty-four hour period , and always ensure the water slay the dirt so it can get to the roots , rather than dampening the farewell and flowers .
This workweek I ’ve been planting out the last of our seed - grown nasturtium , one of my favourite plants .
I love their vivid colour and the peppery predilection of their flower petal when added to salads and I ’ve grown a taking over of them to stud around the garden .
This final batch has been add to the raised beds in our yield and veggie orbit , because nasturtiums make excellent companion plants , attracting cabbage white butterflies who lay their eggs on their leaves rather than on our precious harvest .
Their nectar - deep blooms also bring pollinators and pest predators , so everyone benefits from their front .
I ’ve also got a row of Tagetes ( Gallic marigolds ) in a veg layer , because scientists have discovered that their feeling repel whitefly , making them an excellent companion plant for tomatoes . They look pretty and are so much nicer to use than chemical nebuliser .
While everything is growing like mad , there is the daily round of deadheading to do and also weed – this summer ’s warm , wet condition have make bumper conditions for unwanted plant .
Most of them are slung on the compost heap , the exception being really uncompromising recurrent weeds , anything invasive , or which can develop through its root , and the ones that have slipped through my net of vigilance and been allow to flower and set seed .
If added to the mass , ripe seeds will simple sit and wait in the tender compost and then take shape back to life when spread out around the garden . So , the simple solution with un - compostable weed debris is to drown it all in a bucketful of water supply over a few hebdomad , before then seduce manipulation of the leftovers by compost them .
Be water heady
Canny tricks for irrigation
1 . If container or growbag compost has been leave too long between watering it can be very hard to re - wet . A twosome of fall of gentle washing up liquid added to a tearing can will get around the surface tenseness and avail the piss soak in .
2 . Very dry ground will drive back wet , so the best way of arrive at sure water gets to the flora roots , can be to make a grunge moat around your plants . This will hold the weewee long enough for it to pass down without escaping .
Let ’s have a potable
