0590 Loddon Reach June 20 64pp Interactive) - Flipbook - Page 49
GARDENING NOTES
A
s I write this, there has just been a
temperature drop from warm, almost
summery, weather to something more like
autumn or early winter. The good news is that
there doesn’t seem to have been an overnight
frost, which was threatened. For those of you
who are starting out as gardeners, don’t get
discouraged – most years include a time when
it seems that nature is against you, but it is
surprising how well many flowers and vegetables
recover from these upsets.
The three months of June through August are
probably the best, if busiest, ones during the year.
Flower and vegetable plants, raised from seed at
about the time the lockdown started, will be ready
to go out in early June into flowerbeds, pots and
on the vegetable plot. Tomatoes, sweet peppers,
aubergines, courgettes and squashes that have
been raised in greenhouses and hardened-off in
cold frames can go out into the ground or into
large pots, troughs and grow-bags. Those on open
ground, in pots or troughs can have canes inserted
to support the plants, but those in growbags will
need some sort of support structure to prevent
the plants collapsing under the weight of the crop.
Quick-growing salad crops such as lettuce, rocket
and radishes can be sown in small quantities every
few weeks to provide a constant supply of fresh
food and the flowers will quickly start blooming to
brighten up the garden.
However, the same conditions that help the
flowers and vegetables to grow rapidly also suit
weeds even better, so be prepared to wage war
on them. To make things easier, don’t space the
plants too closely because that makes it much
more difficult to weed between them without
damaging their roots. It’s best for the plants to
have enough room for the air to circulate freely,
rather than having them crowded together, which
can encourage fungal disease and a proliferation
of pests such as aphids and snails. June is usually
the month in which weeds are the greatest
problem. Once we move into July and August, the
store of weed seeds in the soil begins to deplete
and the long, and hopefully drier, days will see the
weed seedling wither and die under the hoe.
If you have grown potatoes, then June should see
the first early new potatoes lifted and enjoyed,
followed by second early varieties in July and
August, with main-crop types being harvested
in September, or later. Late sowings of French
beans can be made in June to give a follow-on
from Runners in the early autumn. Winter green
raised earlier in the year can be planted out in July,
possibly where early potatoes have been lifted
from. Towards the end of the month and into
August, sowings can be made of spring cabbages
for planting out in October.
August is a good month, not only for enjoying
the fruits of your labours on the flower, fruit and
vegetable gardens, but it is also a good time to
look around and note down what has worked
well, and what hasn’t. It’s remarkably easy to
forget over the winter months and repeat the
same errors next year.
September is both the close of the gardening year
and the start of the next one, often marked by the
first appearance of new seed and plant catalogues,
which will tempt you with all sorts of desirable
things to grow in 2021. Hopefully, by September,
things will have eased up and we will be able to
meet and exchange garden news more freely. In
the meantime, enjoy your gardens and keep safe.
Chris Young
SHINFIELD ALLOTMENT HOLDERS AND GARDENERS ASSOCIATION (SAHGA)
T
he lockdown and social distancing rules
have meant that it was not possible to
hold the annual Plant Sale at School Green
on Saturday 16th May. However, the SAHGA
members rallied round and a successful Virtual
Plant Stall was operated through late April and
May, so that the plants raised by members found
good homes around the village.
We continue to hope to be able to begin
meetings again in September, when Jane Moore
will tell us about ‘Crops for small gardens.’ The
meeting will start at 7.30pm in Shinfield Infant
School Hall. If this is not possible, we will arrange
for notices to be posted on the Shinfield Parish
Council and Loddon Reach websites.
Chris Young, Chairman
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