Page 19 - ALG Issue 2 2020

...June, July, August
FLOWERS
• Ensurealldahliasareplantedoutbeforethe middle of the month, and stake well for the taller varieties. Keep them well watered.
• Gladioliforcutflowersmayalsobenefitfrom the support of a cane per flower spike to keep them growing straight.
• Annualcutflowersshouldbewellhardenedoff and planted out early in the month.
FRUIT GREENHOUSE
• Givestrawberrybedsatidyover– ensure they are all well mulched down with straw or similar. To increase your plant numbers, allow oneortwogoodstrongrunnersfrom a healthy plant to either be pegged down to the ground to root or into a small pot of compost.
• Topfruitsuchasapplesandpears shouldstarttoshedalittleexcess fruit; this is perfectly natural and is referred to as ‘June Drop’. Young trees should be thinned by hand in the first few years.
• Keepawatchful eye over
gooseberries for gooseberry sawfly attacks.
• Ensuregreenhouses,polytunnelsand cold frames are well ventilated on warm days. Temperatures will soon rise and can damage young plants.
• Floors,stagingetc.canbedamped down with the garden hose or watering can; this lessens the chance of red spider mite attacks, which thriveinhotdryconditions.
• Ifnecessary,shadingcanbeapplied to the greenhouse either as a paint/ spray on product, or as a netting applied to the outside of the house to break the sun’s rays.
• Ensurethatallgreenhousecrops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and melons are kept well-watered, and new growth is tied in regularly.
GREENHOUSE FLOWERS
FRUIT
• Applesandpearsthat are trained as espaliers, step-overs, cordons etc. will need to be pruned this month. Reduce all this seasons growth by one third, pruning just above a leaf joint.
• Protectripeningcherries from birds.
• Finishharvestingrhubarb by the end of the month. Give crowns a heavy mulch of manure or similar.
• Keepgreenhouses,polytunnelsetc. wellventilated,andinthehottest weather keep damping down greenhouseswhereverpossible.
• Continuetotieinnewgrowthon tomatoes, cucumbers and melons.
• Tomatoes should be well watered to avoid blossom end rot and
fed regularly with a high potash (potassium) fertiliser. Continue to remove side-shoots, and on warm days tap the plant to aid pollination.
• Melonsmayrequirepollinating.To do this, remove a ‘male’ flower (one without a small fruit behind it) and push it inside a ‘female’ flower (one with a small fruit).
• Keepallcutflowerswell-watered. • Keeptyinginsweetpeasandcutoff
faded blooms.
• Keepdahliaswellfed;theyaregreedy
plants.
• Cut any annual cut flowers as they
are ready.
Keep dahlias well fed; they are greedy plants
• Checkoverautumnplantedonions in storage for early signs of rot; they never tend to store as well as maincrops.
• Harvestsecondearlypotatoesas required.
FRUIT
• Finishallsummerpruningontrained apples and pears.
• Pruneblackcurrantsbyremoving branches that carried fruit this year.
• Reduceside-shootsonredandwhite currants by two thirds.
• Remove straw from around strawberry plants that have finished fruiting, lightly prick the soil and add a general fertilizer. Prepare new strawberry beds.
Reduce side-shoots on red and white currants by two thirds
• Prune summer fruiting raspberries andtieinnewunfruitedcanes,then treat as for strawberries above.
FLOWERS
• Continueasperlastmonth.
• Ensurethatanywinterbeddingseeds
are sown no later than the beginning of the month. Winter pansies, violas, wallflowers, primulas etc. can really brighten up plots in the duller months of the year.
GREENHOUSE
• Continueaslastmonth with watering, feeding and tying in. Harvest all tomatoes, cucumbers etc. as necessary.
• Ripeningmelonsshould be supported with nets so they cannot break away from the vine as they swell.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 19