Gardeners corner- August 2023
What have I learned this summer: tips, tricks and observations
In East Anglia we have had two very hot and dry summers
followed by a cold winter (-10c) and a wetter summer for 2023. As readers have
probably realised by now, my gardening efforts have been predominantly focused
on establishing shrub beds during cooler months, and growing fruit and
vegetables during the summer. As I reflect on how successful my efforts have
been, I thought it might be helpful to share some tips and learnings.
Fruit and Vegetables
In previous years my main enemies have been slugs and snails,
which I put down to very wet weather one summer but was still battling with
them during two very hot summers. The blighters can strip young plants and ripe
veg overnight. Having decided not to publish some of my friends’ suggestions
for getting rid of them (even I was shocked!), this year I was intrigued about
how few there were to deal with. But I noticed two things that I hadn’t seen
before. Firstly, the bigger birds were searching for them early in the morning with
more determination than I have previously witnessed. But the greater discovery
was firstly, a baby toad struggling to escape a deep pot (I assisted) - and
then a few hours later the cat was found observing a very large toad. We don’t
have water features as such in any part of the garden, but there are large
“builders” tubs left out in the veg garden to capture rainwater. And there’s
always shelter for small animals. Providing the right habitat has finally
encouraged the right predators.
I am experimenting with the use of diatomaceous earth to kill a
great many fire ant nests that I have discovered in our grass this year. This is
also useful for mites, fleas and other pests; what appears to be a harmless, finely
ground silicate to humans and pets is razor-sharp to insects. It is lethal,
efficient, and it won’t harm pets, vegetation or overall soil composition. The biggest
risk posed to humans is the inhalation of the dust particles – so if you decide
to use it please wear a face mask, gloves, and clothing which can be washed
immediately afterwards. I have asthma and will report back if there are any
unhealthy side effects.
I will mention something that any experienced researcher
will automatically want to question. There is some evidence that slugs
and snails dislike “purple” veg containing anthocyanins- probably they taste
slightly bitter. I have certainly found that the redder varieties of French
beans, lettuce and salad leaves have been far less damaged even when planted
side by side with their green counterparts. And if you have problems keeping
them off courgettes/zucchini, the “ball” and varieties with thicker, ridged skins
definitely fare much better. This article
explains the relative health benefits of “purple veg” – and some of the differences
in growing them.
This year we experienced our biggest harvests of strawberries and
gooseberries to date. One can thank the Heavens for all the rainwater, but I
also experimented with stringing unwanted CDs onto bamboo poles with twine. The
CDs successfully kept rabbits away from a newly planted and otherwise
unprotected woodland area in early summer (even if deer and rabbit resistant, plants
are still vulnerable for the first year or two in open ground). The same method
kept the pigeons, jackdaws and magpies away from the soft fruit and beans.
Sticking the poles in at a slight angle helps the CDs to spin around more
effectively. As a bonus, the cat found the veg garden light show highly
entertaining on sunny evenings!
Last year I managed to kill every cucumber plant carefully raised
from seed, by potting into too heavy a growing medium and thus condemning them
to root rot. This year they have romped away in the greenhouse in large pots of
roughly 70% peat free multipurpose compost, 20% perlite (for aeration) and 10%
vermiculite (to retain moisture). The peppers, aubergines and chillis have
similarly preferred this potting mix. I have even managed to grow supermarket
ginger in this mix, and a lot of herbs from seed. All pots are watered in large
trays; nothing is watered on the top of the pot. I also strung up a cheap
wooden trellis panel against the inner greenhouse wall, which proved brilliant for
supporting the cucumbers. If you want speed and reliability, the “mini munch”
varieties produce an abundance of perfect 6-8” snack-sized fruits. I have
strung one all along the inside of the greenhouse!
The legendary Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don
mentioned that most people over feed their plants and should err in the side of
under feeding if in doubt, so I tried using less seaweed feed (useful for veg,
shrubs, everything) in the veg garden this year and can’t say that we have
noticed any difference in size, texture, flavour or timing of ripeness. Shop-bought
compost usually contains enough nutrients for 6-8 weeks anyway. That said,
rainwater contains more nutrients than tap water, and home-made compost can be
very rich in nutrients (sometimes, too rich).
Only because our hornet nest might bother visitors joining us for
an evening snifter, I invested in a couple of wasp traps with bait – which are
keeping the numbers down and away from the ripening figs on the patio.
But many more traps are needed for larger areas / bigger trees. So
next year I will be experimenting with reusing plastic water bottles to help
keep wasps and hornets off our fruit trees, which will cut the expense and
preserve more glass jars for home made jam. Cut the top third off a large
plastic water bottle and dispose of the cap. Then fill 2” of the base with
sugar or jam, mixed with water. Invert the top so that it funnels down towards
the sweet stuff, leaving a gap of about 1” from the liquid. Punch holes in the
sides near the top to thread string to hang the trap on a branch. Once they
have reached the bait, it’s almost impossible to crawl out again. One tip – in
the past we have always used honey water, but apparently this is more likely to
risk luring bees to their death than wasps and hornets. The other interesting fact
is that during early summer, wasps and hornets are more focused on foraging for
protein. While you could use leftovers of meat as bait earlier in the season,
the sweet-baited traps become useful just as the insects start to become
annoying!
Lastly, I have already bought my veg seeds for next year because
many of the big suppliers currently have large discounts on seed packs (by up
to 75%). They are still at least 18 months within date- and if you want to
enjoy the same varieties next year, it’s much easier to remember what they are
now than struggling in the middle of January (when they will be 4x the price). Wilko
– who are currently in administration – used to be reliably cheap for veg seeds;
I have already bought next years’ supplies from Thomson and Morgan for about
the same cost.
Links and Offers
Organic liquid seaweed
fertiliser
(scroll down for Bargain Best Seller veg seeds at under £1 a pack)
£1- £1.99
offers on veg plants, dahlias and outdoor amaryllis
Shrubs and Ornamentals
Last September and October, I created a new and very large shrub
bed in an unprotected area of woodland. All of the shrubs are supposedly deer
and rabbit proof once established. However, I didn’t manage to
fence the area off before a cold winter set in; by March, the few evergreen
shrubs were stripped bare and almost everything else was eaten down to the
ground. However, nothing had been uprooted. I added a fence in Spring and with
the bonus of regular downpours, everything has recovered well after such a
severe pruning by the animals!
Once the
fence was in place, I treated myself to 6 potted roses to add to this bed which
are reliably healthy, repeat flowering older varieties in shades of lilac,
white or gently bicoloured. These include the white Damask rose Madame Hardy,
the Bourbon rose Boule de Neige, the rich purple Gallica rose Cardinal de
Richelieu, and the outrageously raspberry-ripple bi-coloured Ferdinand Pichard.
Gardening Express still has some
of these (and other very attractive varieties) in large 5 litre pots at keen
prices.
Given conflicting information across several reliable breeders’
websites, I wanted to see the blooms, vigour and growth habit of these roses
before planting into their final positions in the Autumn. Over the summer, I
experimented with using giant vegetable grow bags for my new roses and am
delighted with the results. Better aeration has boosted growth by at least
double compared with using large plastic containers (the idea is to aid root
development, avoid overheating and waterlogging). All have performed beyond
expectation and are simply stunning.
At the other end of the cost spectrum, over the past few years I
have bought bargain packs of bare root roses to eventually fill gaps in
ornamental beds. These are very cheap (averaging £1 per rose and an 80% success
rate in getting them going), but they need a couple of years undisturbed in good,
well-drained soil to develop their vigour. Although cheaper still when bought
in summer, they can be much harder to bring to life than during cooler months.
They arrive clingfilm-wrapped in moist sand or sawdust. I soak them well before
planting, always use Rootgrow, and keep them moist but with minimal feed. In
spring, they are cut back and fed to help produce more vigorous growth and a
few blooms, and after having seen their colour and form I can then decide about
where to plant them during their second winter.
Often the varieties in these bargain packs are well known older
German, French or English roses, having become more widely available for
breeding after their prizewinning years. However, brands such as David Austin
seem to prefer withdrawing their older roses so that they cannot be bred and
sold much more cheaply by competitors. After five years, some of the bargain
bare root roses are now matching or outperforming their more expensive cousins
(the first photo below shows an expensive David Austin rose, the second a rose
that cost about £1 as part of a bargain bundle):
And finally….
Wet and Forget. If you haven’t yet discovered this
spray-and-leave treatment for mould and algae, you are in for a treat. Diluted
with 4 parts water and sprayed onto wooden fencing, garden furniture, decking,
patios, driveways and other outdoor surfaces, it will clean and protect against
algae and mould for several months without any scrubbing. Spray onto a dry
surface and allow to dry for 5-6 hours. Subsequent rain showers will wash away
dead growth, leaving a beautifully clear surface. I used it on some very old
and newer wooden garden furniture last autumn, and everything is still
beautifully clean. Used in spring, one treatment should last for most of the
summer- while an autumn treatment will prevent stains, slime and slipperiness
when the weather turns damp and icy. Unless you have a huge amount of roofing, fencing,
decking or driveway in a terrible state, 5 litres of concentrate should last a
long time. No more long hours spent jet washing!
Wet and Forget (at Amazon)
Pressure sprayer (at Amazon)
Next time….
I have something in mind about the joys of winter gardening for
the next newsletter. I’m also researching the idea of a “tea garden” as a
winter project, which could be as small as a raised bed/ large container planted
with herbs that make good tisanes. A larger space might become more of an
apothecary garden. If genealogy is mainly spent in the past, gardening is all
about what we do today towards our future quality of life. Which is a good
reminder to enjoy late summer by relaxing in a favourite corner while the sun still
shines!