Homes & gardens
TIME FOR A HOE DOWN?
Summertime... and the living is not so easy! Left unfettered, weeds will rapidly take hold of your garden - and bugs get a grip on your plants...
Don’t return from a family holiday to find the garden is out of control. Instead, bribe a neighbour or friend to undertake the watering and to limit weeds.
Reward them with being allowed to
harvest crops from the kitchen garden. (Of course, make certain the friend has adequate skills that include knowing the difference between a plant and a weed!)
Returning to the subject of weeding.
When the ground is dry, don’t disdain that old fashioned tool – a hoe. Tiny weeds can be hoed out and left on the surface to wilt and die. Sadly, this method is not successful when the soil is damp because those clever weeds will re-root and establish!
A lot of fruit trees are carrying
especially large crops this year and branches are heavily-laden. Prop them up with supports to prevent them breaking off. Still on the subject of fruit trees: remove any suckers growing at the base of trunks. The girth of the trees may have increased quite dramatically – check ties/supports and loosen as required. Espalier and fan-trained apple and pear trees should be pruned now.
Whether holidaying in this country or
abroad, why not include visits to a couple of ‘open gardens’ in the schedule? A delightful way of gaining knowledge and researching for new ideas. The National Gardens Scheme affords wonderful opportunities to visit
gardens, most of which are privately owned, for a remarkably small entrance fee.
Founded by the Queen’s Nursing
Institute in 1927, it was made a charitable company in 2005. A lot of the properties listed offer delicious home-made teas, some sell plants – and almost all provide free information and advice! The scheme has donated over £23 million to charities in the last ten years.
The school holidays are long and
children – especially younger ones - get bored!
encourage them to garden. Don’t give them a place in an out-of-the-way dark corner that might defeat even the experts! Instead, provide them with a
It is not too late in the season to
small plot in a good position – or even a couple of containers filled with appropriate compost. Remember that children want to see results quickly so encourage them to sow quick-grow salad leaves and quick-grow herbs that they will be able to harvest – and have the fun of using – during the holidays.
At this time of year, there can be an
over-abundance of fruit and vegetables. Rather than boring everyone with ‘the
same, the same’ every day, consider setting up a ‘swap shop’ with neighbours. Or sell surplus to raise money for a selected charity? And of course, bottling, preserving, drying and freezing are back on the agenda – something in which the entire family can get involved.
Editorial supplied by Pat Crawford for Hadlow College. Mid Kent Living 49
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