This Month in Your Garden
THE AUGUST GARDEN
After a superb spell of weather in April many jokingly said “that’s our summer for this year”. However now that we are half way through August those words are becoming ever more a reality. Maybe that is a little harsh but with only two short spells of warm weather in July it certainly seems that way. Even though we have had many wet days it is still extremely important that any planted containers are watered at least once a day, especially smaller ones. The best times to do this are either early morning or evening. Do not feed plants where the compost has dried out as the plants will take up the nutrients too rapidly.
Temperature control in the greenhouse is equally important with temperatures rising to 1000F on hot days and then dipping to a few degrees above freezing on the colder nights. Minimising the difference between day and night time temperatures is beneficial to plants and can reduce the incidence of disease. Shading is an excellent way of protecting plants from the full glare of the sun and if possible damp down the floor in the greenhouse during the hottest part of the day to reduce the temperature and also increase the humidity. Some plants like begonias can easily have their leaves scorched if in direct sunlight, whereas hot dry conditions are ideal for the red spider mite which affects plants like fuchsia.
August is probably a good time to take stock of everything in the garden and even take notes to jog the memory when planning for next year. Which plants haven't performed well, which have become so invasive they will require severely curtailing before they kill out other less dominant plants. Are there any colour clashes or dramatic height differences in the border? Identify them for moving in the autumn or spring. The good thing about the garden is that it is constantly evolving and changing – some years you get it right and others aren’t just as successful but at the end of the year you always have the next season to look forward to!
The Society's Summer Show takes place on August the 27th and is open to those who live in West Linton and surrounding districts. It is therefore very much a community event. Why not get a show schedule from the local newsagents and see if there is something you can enter, be it vegetables, flowers, a pot plant, baking or handicrafts. There are some helpful tips in the schedule for those showing for the first time and members available on the Friday evening and Saturday morning, more than willing to help you stage your exhibits. Apart from anything else it is good fun and as a bonus you may find yourself with a winning entry!
PREPARING FOR SPRING
Unless we get some last minute severe weather then winter has been very kind to us this year compared to last. Even with this in mind many of the jobs in the Garden are dependent more on the actual weather than the calendar.
This is the time to finish off all the clearing up from last year. Shrubs and trees which are getting too big can be pruned and plants such as dogwoods which have been left over winter for their colour, or sunflower heads left for the birds etc. can now be cut right back. The borders themselves can be cleared of all the lying dead foliage and leaves. This should be done carefully as bulbs and earlier plants are already pushing their way through. All the cleared matter can be shredded if necessary and then added to the compost bin. Any compost which is ready from last year can now be applied as mulch, it does not need to be rotted right down to be effective. Do not apply when the ground is frozen as this will just 'seal in' the cold. With reduced foliage cover this is also an ideal time to treat fences and sheds if needed.
Lawns will be looking at their worst just now and will really benefit from scarification. Whilst a lawn rake can be used for a very small area it is very tiring work. Small electric scarifiers are very efficient are removing all the dead matting and scratching the surface of the soil, allowing water and air easier access to the roots. Whilst it tends to look a bit scruffy once you have first finished it will show signs of greening up much earlier than if you had left it; Spring feeding should not be applied until there are strong signs of growth.
We are now in the middle of the seed sowing season, albeit under heat, or at least frost protection. This may be in a greenhouse, but a sunny window ledge will suffice, heating mats or propagators will speed things up.; Once germinated it is not heat the plants need most, but light, so be wary of providing too much heat which leads to long spindly pale plants. Make sure plants are moved away from the window if frost is expected; the golden rule is, if in doubt, wait a little bit longer, they will soon catch up. Of course if you wish to skip this stage then you can purchase your bedding plants, along with many others, at our plant sale on the 21st of April. These are grown on in the area and hardened off properly, so unless we have really adverse weather they are ready to go straight into the ground.
As you are probably aware there has been a massive resurgence in "grow your own" fruit and vegetables. Apart from being ;the ultimate in freshness you know exactly what has gone on the produce and, of course, there is the satisfaction in knowing that what you are eating is all your own work. If you were growing veg last year you will be finishing off the last of the Brassicas and Kale etc. allowing these beds to be cleared. Now is the time for planting bare rooted fruits such as raspberries and rhubarb, garlic also should go in if not already overwintered and you can be be chitting your potatoes, ready for planting. Generally speaking you should aim for temperatures of around 5C+ before the planting of the majority of the veg. You can lay plastic on the ground for a period before planting to heat the ground up more quickly and cloches serve the same purpose but can also protect the crops as they grow.
As we move from winter into spring the garden will soon be bursting into growth and we will moving into the main sowing/ planting season.