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UNITE Leisure Gardenwise Summertime Season of garden pleasures


Summer is a season of garden pleasures. Fresh garden produce, flowers and coloured leaves in abundance. A welcome quieter time for us all to enjoy.


Containers, annual flowers, vegetables, fruits and newly established plants need special attention to watering. To avoid difficulties should hose pipe bans be applied, water barrels close to the point of use are an easy solution. It needs thinking about before restrictions are applied. More containers are required but this cuts down on carrying water long distances. Close planting, mulching, regular weeding and plant choice all make a difference to watering frequency. Automatic irrigation systems seem expensive but are a good long term investment. Seep hoses offer one answer and it’s a very reliable solution. They’re easy to install and relatively cheap to buy. You can even make a DIY version.


It’s still possible to plant containers and enjoy them through late summer and into autumn. Use fresh compost with added slow release fertiliser and water retentive additives. Expensive to buy but the results are very good.


Plant and sow fast growing vegetables. It may seem late but excellent crops can be produced despite the shorter growing season. From seed, dwarf and climbing french beans are extraordinarily fast and easy growers. Germination can be problematic so sow more than you need. A climbing bean I have grown very successfully is called Mamba. Purple Queen is an excellent dwarf variety – prolific and tasty. Despite the name the pods turn green when cooked. Cucumber, peppers, courgettes, squashes and potatoes can all be planted late and produce good results. Experiment and see how you get on with these crops.


Every year more garden maintenance tools and machines come onto the market. Some are good. Some are not. Be selective and prioritise good quality over gimmicky fragile equipment. This is not to disqualify the useful labour and energy saving products newly available. Price and manufacturer are often good guides on longevity and quality. The old maxim that you are not rich enough to buy cheap holds true today. Secondhand purchases are a good but have you noticed quality used tools and machines are becoming harder to find?


Phone cameras have made a positive difference to making a garden diary. Easy recording and the speed of taking a photo or video clip make it almost invaluable. Editing and categor- izing is important as a library quickly builds to a jumble of images difficult to access. Add notes to your photos.


37 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2023


■ By Phil Saunders


Clifford Harper


Getty Images


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