Little did I know, when writing last month’s diary, expressing my hopes for an ‘Indian Summer’, it would manifest itself in record breaking temperatures at the end of the month and 29.9C at Gravesend on the first of October! It has thrown plants into confusion, I am not alone in having fruit trees, like the […]
September is often the most settled month of the year and after this year’s erratic weather, wouldn’t it be wonderful to welcome an ‘Indian Summer’, this month, with a month of still, sunny, days? During the unsettled weather in August, I gambled on planting a mixed border, with the help of my friend, Paul, using […]
Watering becomes increasingly important during drought, which often occurs at this time of year, so here are a few tips, so your plants flourish. Check hanging baskets and containers three times a day, if possible; push your fingers into the compost, if is moist, compost crumbs stick to your fingers; if they are clean, give the […]
Diary – July 2011 Now’s your last chance to sow biennials. ‘Brompton Stocks’ and ‘Forget me Nots’ are fast growing and can be sown later and slow growing ‘Canterbury Bells’ should be planted in late spring but the remainder need sowing now. Space them out well to reduced thinning and transplant to their flowering position […]
June is still a good time to sow fast maturing vegetables in areas usually affected by late frosts, something that ‘caught out’ many gardeners last month in areas where the last frosts are generally much earlier. Spring onions, parsley and other salads that are harvested successionally should continue to be sown regularly until August, to […]
I regularly count myself as fortunate ‘freelancer’, in the gardening world. I was recently a guest lecturer on a Fred. Olsen Cruise down to the Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Senegal, (No I didn’t know where they were, either!) once a Portuguese colony and tipped as the next ‘big’ holiday destination. […]
Early in the month, while the soil is still cold, is the perfect time to get sowing in the greenhouse. Heavier soils in particular are going to take time to warm up. Frost tender crops like Aubergine, celery, peppers, sweet corn, French and runner beans, courgettes, squashes and other tender vegetables can all be germinated […]
I write this month’s diary to the sound of a birdsong, with warm sunshine streaming through the office window. Fantastic! After a dark and dreary winter, it looks like spring is finally its way and that’s great news for us all! It is amazing how sunshine and a little warmth lifts the spirits, add the […]
This winter has been like the winters of old with snow and chilling winds. The last few days of January have been horrible in Hertfordshire, damp, raw and shrouded by grey sky from dawn until dusk. A friend of mine said it was like living under a Tupperware bowl, I’ve never done it but sure […]
At long last winter has relaxed its icy grip, for a few days at least! Temperatures plunged to -10C in this part of Hertfordshire and have been much lower in other parts of Britain, on what is the coldest December on record. I hope that your greenhouse heater didn’t break down at a critical time. […]
This is the month when temperatures dip so you need to protect cold frames and cloches with insulation, winter crops like lambs lettuce are certainly hardy enough to survive but added protection will certainly increase their quality. Open the vents in your greenhouse as long as possible on mild sunny days, shutting them down before […]
One thing that seems to preoccupies us even more than ever, is the weather. Rather than global warming, we seem to be confronted by erratic weather patterns – more of a climate change. Several nights in October were the coldest ever recorded yet in the first week in November, parts of the UK are expecting […]
