The garden is developing at some pace this month, all that fresh spring growth is turning to cycles of flower and the first snowdrops early in the year seem a distant memory. A daily inspection of the garden reveals something new and inevitably something that needs attention whether that be removing a few fading blooms or placing supports in that plant you forgot to do earlier in the year. Squeeze in a few trips to other gardens and allow yourself to be recharged by the abundant beauty of plants and inspiration, ideally with tea and cake too.
Gardening shouldn’t be a chore although I appreciate, it can at times seem to be getting a little out of hand. The most important thing is to try not to get too stressed, if the garden is looking a little untidy or if the grass is getting a little long, does it really matter so long as there is a little space to put out a chair and enjoy a cup of tea. There is plenty of time to catch up and does it really matter if you have a year when it doesn’t quite meet your expectations, just say to yourself, there is always another year, and what looks a mess to you will still be enjoyed by the insects, butterflies, birds and maybe, the local hedgehog.
We grow a good range of vegetables and whilst we are far from self sufficient, the joy of producing and the taste of fresh vegetables and fruit are unequaled. If space is limited or you are just starting to grow your own produce choose something easy that can be harvested in a few weeks.
Even if space is limited there are crops that you can grow and enjoy, over the coming years you will increase your knowledge of what to do and the range of edibles you can try.
I replaced some of our gutters a few years ago and being a Yorkshireman who likes to get my money’s worth, I decided to use them to grow salad leaves. Rescuing a couple of gutter brackets I duly fastened them onto the sunny side of the shed, clipped in the gutter and blocked either end with gaffer tape to create a shallow trough. Drill three or four holes every 100cm (3 feet), place a sheet of kitchen roll paper over the holes and fill with multipurpose compost level with the top. Most garden centres and nurseries sell a wide range of seeds, some are ready mixed salad leaves or you can buy lettuce, rocket, mizuna and mustard, in fact any of the salad leaves, radishes and beetroot. The idea is to produce edible leaves and whilst there is not enough room for radish and beetroot to produce roots their leaves are edible and have a mild flavour of, yes you have guessed it, radish and beetroot. Because you are experimenting with edible leaved plants you can also try most of the brassicas, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts or turnips. It is a great way of using up surplus seed or last year’s half packets.
Sprinkle the mixed seed over the compost, aiming roughly for each seed to be 3-4mm (1/4 inch) apart, its not critical just a guide. Gently run your fingers through the top 1cm(1/2inch) to bury the seed and water using a watering can fitted with a fine rose. The leaves should start to germinate in three or four days, make sure you keep them watered as the shallow gutter can dry out quite quickly. Using scissors harvest the young leaves when they are about 7.5cm (3 inches) tall leaving a small stub about 1cm (1/2 inch) to re grow. Once harvested, water the cut seedlings with a little liquid feed, tomato feed is fine, and the plants will start to grow again, this can be repeated two or three times after which, remove the compost and place on the compost heap and start again.
The same technique can be used in any container, pot, window box or even an old hanging basket.
Trying to keep on top of weeds, removing faded flowers and straggly stems can be a chore but rather than tackling the whole border allocate a set amount of time each day, and do it for half an hour, then move onto another task. I find the thing that puts people off the most is a laborious job that seems to take for ever, it’s not a race and you are supposed to be enjoying it.
For those who have not followed the ‘No Mow May’ and especially if your lawn is quite dry it is a good idea to adjust the mower to leave the grass a little longer. Our mower has number settings and I change the height from setting 3 to setting 4, so that the grass doesn’t get too stressed, and is able to recover more quickly when it rains.
(Next month, check hedges before cutting, increasing strawberries, sowing biennials.)
