GARDENING
Summer officially starts on Saturday the 21st of June according to the astronomical calendar. This is the longest day of the year called the Summer Solstice. So, daylight will last approximately 16.5 hours on this day.
So, things in the garden are now growing vigorously and you will need to get watering if we get a dry spell. You will also have to keep on top of weeding as the weeds will be competing for moisture with your plants. This is also the time of year when pests are at their height. PLEASE DON’T USE PESTICIDES as sprays don’t just kill the greenfly, blackfly and other pests, they will also kill the friendly insects like butterflies, moths, bees, and ladybirds.
You can mix a small amount of washing up liquid with water and spray on affected plants. However, what I do is to mix my own organic insecticide.
Spray on the affected plants or veg, then keep the unused solution for future use. If it becomes lumpy and congealed pop the mixture in the microwave for a couple of minutes to heat up before putting through a sieve again.
Feeding your plants and produce is important at this time of the year. You can buy fertilisers like tomato feed which is high in potassium which helps the flower and fruit development. Seaweed fertilisers provide a broad range of nutrients and trace elements acting as a general soil improver and promotes plant vigour. I use both, but at the allotment we have comfrey growing. I cut this at the bottom of the stems and place the plants in my water butts. After a couple of weeks, I have free fertiliser.
I sow my sweet corn in blocks not in rows as sweet corn is pollinated by the wind so planting your plants this way will increase your crop.
As soon as your perennials – lupins, delphiniums and ornamental poppies have finished flowering – cut them back to their base and hopefully a new flush of flowers will appear later in the season.