Page 48 - Simply Veg 3.21

Lavatera silver cup
I mentioned “stopping”
Chrysanths and dahlias
in May. This should have
caused the plants to
produce side growths, called laterals which will eventually bear the flowers. The more laterals there are, of course, the more flowers there will be, but if you want large flowers, as exhibitors do, you need to restrict the number. Exhibitors reduce the laterals
and doors can stay open all the time. Damping down the greenhouse will help too.
Keep removing the side shoots from cordon grown tomatoes and when the first fruits are visible start feeding them with tomato fertiliser once a week.
Keep harvesting potatoes and you may have onions, shallots as well and spring planted garlic when the leaves begin to yellow. You can also have your last rhubarb. It shouldn’t be picked any later.
may need staking. I have said before that for most flowers and climbing beans I put the canes in before planting. With the others, canes are put in when needed, the height of which, of course, depends on the eventual height of the plants and the plants are tied to them as they grow. Sweet
Antirrhinums on allotment
on Chrysanths to 2 or 3 per plant. Some growers put a cane on each lateral, but I just tie a string round the whole plant which supports each lateral.
We are likely to get some hot weather this month so make sure you keep up with
peas grown on the cordon system are restricted to one stem per plant and I find they need securing to the canes twice a week. I use either rings that are sold for the purpose or twist ties.
We are likely to get some hot weather this month so make sure you keep up with the watering
the watering both with flowers and vegetables. This particularly applies in the greenhouse where plants, particularly tomatoes, may need watering twice a day. If tomatoes go short of water, they suffer from a disorder called blossom end rot. It helps if you apply shading to the greenhouse if not done before and the ventilators
Floribunda rose Trumpeter
Onions harvested in July
48 Simply Vegetables
Key to suppliers
D. (Dobies), S. (Suttons),
R. (Robinsons), Sh. (Shelley’s), B. (D.T.Browns), F.(Fothergills ), M (Marshalls )