Organic Gardening Diary

May 11, Garden Seeds

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:56:28 GMT

Grow with garden seeds and bring variety, choice, & substantial cost saving to your organic home. Start here for help in growing flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit from seed

May 10, Flower Seeds

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:14:34 GMT

Try growing flower seeds for a mass of attractive plants. You can fill your whole garden in one year. Choose from select and unusual flower ranges, and enjoy the immense satisfaction of a splendid flower show around your home

May 5, Practical Lawn Mowers

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:22:57 GMT

Find lawn mowers that work on your kind of lawn. Practical advice on selecting machines for sloping lawns, fine lawns, rough grass, large and small areas... Check their advantages and ease of use here.

May 5, Growing Lawns

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:22:54 GMT

Try growing lawns in a variety of styles with these methods. You can compare the best greens and conventional lawns with functional lawns and wonderfully beautiful alternative lawn styles that are quiet exciting for an organic gardener to grow.

May 5, Lawn Care Advice

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:22:51 GMT

Find essential lawn care tips to improve your green areas. Discover the cause of problem lawns and find the answers here. You really will see the difference in the quality of your grass.

May 5, Lawn Weeds

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:22:48 GMT

Eradicating lawn weeds can be a difficult task. This page examines the problems of different lawn weeds and some of the organic weed control methods used on lawns.

May 5, Lawn Fertilizer For Top Greens

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:22:45 GMT

Find more about organic lawn fertilizer and how to improve your lawns all year around.

May 5, Lawn Mowing Practical

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:22:42 GMT

Learn the essential tips & tricks of lawn mowing. You don't have to be an organic gardener. The 'straight forward' approach with various lawn mowers & lawns is described.

Apr 20, More Organic Gardening Blogs

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:47:13 GMT

I want all my gardening friends to share their successes and failures in gardening. We have lots of gardening tips to share with each other and lots to learn. So lets join forces. To this end I've restarted my old gardening blog as another place to provide a diary of my garden. You can leave comments there too. But to really get the word out why not sign up as a friend on Home of The Organic Gardener's new facebook. It will be great to hear about your garden there and especially to see any photos that you have to share. And I'll be posting more there on my kitchen garden and cooking. This is a brand new page soon to be growing. You can also find articles on the wildlife in my garden published here and I hope to add another link to my latest article in a day or two. Plans for you to be able to publish your gardening articles and information right here on the-organic-gardener.com are still in progress. So do keep in touch and pass the word on. Happy gardening.

Apr 11, Gardening Diary - time to pull weeds

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:56:55 GMT

A few showers of rain make all the difference to your weeding technique. Although many gardeners recommend hoeing as standard, that is really a job for dry weather. Of course you should be careful not to walk on your earth when it is soft. But now you can take advantage of those early rising, possibly overwintering weeds, that are growing away with substantial roots. Because when the earth is soft, a firm grip on your weed plant will lift it out whole. You can often do this job by reaching from a firm path, otherwise put a board down on the soil. Some weeds may be spreading over the surface, producing bulbils, or underground root tubers or rhyzomes. Even stubborn tap rooted dandelions and docks are more likely to be eased out from soft earth substantially whole. There are small gardening hand tools to help you on this page. These weeds will certainly make good garden compost too that may be ready in time from mid to late summer. The soil attached to fibrous root balls can be shaken back onto the garden. You'll find many more links and tips for organic weed control on the the link below.

Apr 10, Organic Gardening - green manure plant or seed

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:03:08 GMT

Well it's just about time to sow seed directly outside. But first I suggest you take a quick look at the advantages of using modules.
Here they are again.

Your plants are protected from pests,
You're seeds are saved from the vagaries in outdoor weather conditions - chill winds and snap frosts,
You get more consistent results and strong plants,

And I want to add one more important advantage to modules
Because weedlings will always come up in your seed beds. But when you grow strong plants in modules they are well ahead of the weeds. There's more about modules on my page starting seeds Do you fork in the weeds or a green manure before sowing?
Did you know that it is best to waite about a month after turning in green manure before sowing small seeds? Here's my advice. Use this kind of land to grow onion sets, potato tubers, or larger seeds such as beans, courgettes, pumpkins..., or plant your ready grown plants from modules. There's lots more information to be explored on my ever growing website.
Find more about:-
About Green Manure
Seed Mats and Seeds Tapes
Crop Rotation ...
... ... on these links for example.
And the best organic gardening books are reviewed here.

Apr 5, Organic Gardening - Save Water

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:20:54 GMT

As Winter turned to spring my local weather has been quite dry. Last week the soil looked hard and thirsty. Surprise! the last few days we've had some rain. But will it even be enough to stimulate a burst of weed seedlings? I know the south has been critically dry over winter. So here's a few things to think about. Should we have water shortages later would you consider saving rain butt water for later and using tap water now if necessary? Put down a seep hose now before you plant. Underground water systems save lots of water. Grow your seeds in modules and plant out when the roots have developed. That will avoid watering seedling beds and encouraging weedlings. Here's my page on starting seeds in modules. The next link is about using water wisely in your garden.

Mar 16, Organic Gardening Home for Growing

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:20:18 GMT

Growing naturally with the organic gardening methods explained here, helps you enjoy an active healthy life, while reaping the benefits of your own-grown flowers, fruit, vegetables & herbs.

Mar 12, Warming Up To My Organic Garden

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:41:14 GMT

Hello again, I'm just in from my organic garden which is now really beginning to stir.
One of the joys of a garden is to see wild animals thriving. But there are a few pests too. And look what I found hiding in warm protective cover in my greenhouse. << As my dad always advised, it's best to keep your eye open, grub up, and weed out as you go along. There are plenty of these caterpillars around, and killing them now between finger and thumb will probably save some trouble later. The garden's natural predators, hedghogs and frogs, are coming out of hibernation. And in the evening I hear the frogs in my small pond croaking. If you do have garden netting out I advise that you put a broad tape along the bottom so that our spiny friends don't get entangled. And no milk please, just water. This year the garden birds are busier than ever rooting through the stubble that I've left for animals to hide in. They will control many of my garden pests for free. On the warmer evening it's a good time to put out slug traps charged with beer. You can rid your garden of many slugs by this method.

Mar 1, Organic Gardening For Food

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:22:03 GMT

I still have my crop of 'Juliet' coming out of the store bag as new - firm flesh, and taking a tad longer to cook. Indeed potatoes are the most versatile crop you can grow. You can boil, chip, mash or bake them. Don't delay - my last emailed news is still online here. This year I'm growing my onions from sets - using F1 varieties 'Hytech' and 'Hyred'. And I'll do some multi-sow with last year's onion seed. Several onion seedlings are planted together giving a bunch of small to medium sized bulbs. For American gardeners I find the best value for growing is on this link. My selection for UK Allotment gardeners comes from this link. Get more variety from smaller packs at special prices on this link. Jobs to do now?
Dig in overwintered green manure a month ahead of sowing small seeds like carrots and lettuce. I'll be getting fleece onto the soil to warm it ready for seed. Sowing trays of seeds is under way. Sweet peppers, tomatoes, and flowers are all going in. I'm starting Oregano herb seeds inside in time to plant around cabbages. I'll be updating my pages on seeds in the next few days. Are you worried about a UK drought this summer?
If we don't see a big weather change water will be tankered to the southern counties later this year. Could this be a good time to buy a water butt? The winter sale is still on at the link above.

Feb 25, Select Potato Varieties

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:10:16 GMT

Potato varieties to suit your cooking style & taste, season of use - earlies, mids, lates, for your garden - & with extra disease resistance. Make your choice with the help and experience offered here.

Feb 25, Raised Bed Potatoes

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:10:14 GMT

You can expect raised bed potatoes to be clean & unblemished as there's no digging involved. Find more here on how to grow a clean unblemished potato delicacy even over hard surfaces

Feb 25, Planting Potatoes

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:10:13 GMT

Planting potatoes involves chitting or sprouting early tubers before planting. Find more here on the planting season, depth, row spacing and alternative methods

Feb 25, Certified Seed Potato

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:10:10 GMT

What is Certified seed potato, how they are produced & why are they preferred by potato growers? The answers are here along with information on keeping your potato crop clean

Feb 25, Potato Plant From The Ground Up

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:10:09 GMT

Here's how a potato plant grows, its origin, growing needs & the diseases affecting potatoes.

Feb 10, Pleasure and Passion For The Exotic in Flowers

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:07:08 GMT

I wish St. Valentine's Day came a little later. You may agree with me - there's little chance of surprising your loved-one with home-grown floral treats without help from a heated greenhouse. But hay!... that simply gives me an excuse to greet my Valentine with an extraordinarily exotic gift.

And that's a surprise when your garden is under ice and snow. Do you plan your gardening year as a couple together?
Are your plants a passion that you share? Then why not make this year's garden plans over a delicious herby meal to get you in the mood for growing. Let your taste buds and fragrant flowers inspire you to realise the next development in your garden. For Veg lovers, Seed potatoes are the main thing to choose now before prize varieties sell out and to get them chitting. It was a downer to hear that chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's kitchen burned down while he was away the other day. But here's a thing for my UK gardening friends. I found the skills of traditional growing, kitchen herbs and cooking plus flower arranging and home crafts all available for you to learn on this link. Why not treat yourself to a course or indulge in expert reading? Well I'd love to send you the flowers that I have in mind, but this page has the links to flower sellers in your part of the world - including Canada. Come back here soon - Happy gardening -:)

Jan 1, Organic Gardening Book

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:36:22 GMT

Find a gardening book from successful organic gardeners. Pioneering authors explain innovative ground breaking methods. Specialised gardening techniques: pruning, propagating, compost, flowers... illustrated by gardening experts.

Dec 27, Organic Gardening Blog On The Windowsill

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:36:02 GMT

Many of you will grow a selection of fresh herbs on your windowsill and cut them straight into your cooking pot. But what if pests also take advantage of warmer indoor conditions? What can you do about an infestation of something such as Whitefly? Using pesticides on your fresh herbs is out of the question. Regular finger and thumb may prove convenient. And a strong jet of water is particularly effective. But in my kitchen I have an 8 legged companion to help with organic gardening. Indeed 2 big garden spiders around my windowsills have been trapping whiteflies in their webs. If you don't mind leaving a bit of dust lying around, these mini beasts will help control some windowsill pests for you. One of my spiders moved to a spot on another windowsill where there are plants. Now however I have cleared them outside into my organic garden. They are so big and fat after munching through flies that they'll probably survive a cold hibernation that much better. Do you find that your plants grow long and leggy on the windowsill? Or perhaps they suffer from drafts. The new season is upon us and my page on starting seeds is here to help you. It's great to get an early start with plants so do consider Grow Lights and propagators. The link below is on selecting flowers for a winter garden.

Dec 9, Select Winter Flowers

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:59:57 GMT

Select and grow winter flowers. You'll find what you need to get outside and make your home and garden pretty even in the darkest days. See how you can extend the season with this choice for your winter garden.

Dec 3, Organic Gardening Gift Basket

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:28:26 GMT

Here's an organic gardening gift basket for earth friendly people. You'll find gift ideas from the Gardener for friends with a healthy organic home & a passion for gardening. Make your gift earth friendly here.

Oct 25, Organic Weed Control

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:24:03 GMT

Dos and donts of organic weed control. Discover how to control weeds and grow plants organically. Know why garden weeds succeed and how you can prevent them.

Oct 24, Comparing fruit and veg growing

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:03:35 GMT

Growing fruit and veg? Which is the easiest and most productive by far? Find out here.

Oct 8, Organic Flowers

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:09:48 GMT

Give these attractive organic flowers a place in your garden. Many can be used as cut flowers, some as herbs, and most importantly they protect your garden from pests.

Oct 8, Buy Flowers

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:07:24 GMT

Do you need to buy flowers when you can grow them? This page shows you some of the plants that make nice arrangements for your home.

Oct 8, Patio Gardening

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:03:13 GMT

Patio gardening improves your social life. And your patio is an important space to relax in the surrounds of your lovely garden. Get some ideas here on design and growing flowers, and learn how to enjoy your garden.

Oct 8, Flowers

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:03:12 GMT

Flowers brighten your home, your garden and make life simply wonderful. There's more here about keeping flowers to give and to display in your home.

Oct 8, Buy Plants On Offer

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:03:09 GMT

Check here before you buy plants. The organic gardener outlines a few essentials of buying plants and includes regular wholesale value plus offers from top horticultural brands

Oct 8, Flower Gardening

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:03:07 GMT

Find your flower gardening mix here with the help of 8 illustrations. You'll discover how to make your own selection from beautiful flowers. This page considers how to combine plant shapes, sizes, textures... for your landscaping.

Oct 8, More Flower Gardening

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:03:06 GMT

Find plants for flower gardening with the second 4 of 8 illustrations. You'll discover how to blend your own selection of beautiful flowers. You'll create a distinctive and impressive flower garden with help from these tips on floral garden design.

Oct 2, Helping A Community Garden

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:53:51 GMT

I do my best to help in a community garden. The blog on the link below reveals a snapshot of local interests and activities around our community garden.

Oct 2, Potato Harvest - What is it?

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:14:30 GMT

I grow potatoes every year, but this year I found a surprise. On the end of a couple of potato plants are these little round fruits or vegies. I have

Sep 19, Perfect Potatoes from the Organic Garden

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:38:10 GMT

The day of reckoning has arrived. Later than usual my 2011 second early potato crop 'Juliet' is in. Below I list the tubers by increasing size order. 10 seed potatoes produced 100 tubers totalling about 7 kilograms (over 15 pounds). Average tuber weight a respectable 70grams (2.5 ounces). Each potato plant produced 10 tubers and 700 grms of potato. Grown in a raised bed they're all high quality tubers (pictured) virtually scab free - believe me you wouldn't notice it. Note: the small sized residual makes the grand total even larger.

How was your potato harvest?
Use this link to:-
Upload your pictures & share your success or failure in growing organic potatoes.
Learn more with the-organic-gardener.com.

	Number of Tubers in Size Class	Weight of Tubers in Size Class - Grams.
	10	1690
	10	1160
	10	760
	10	712
	10	635
	10	530
	20	900
	20	600
Main Size Totals	100	6987
	Small Residual Class	Small Residual Weight
	20	325
	12	100
Grand Totals	132	7412

Sep 13, Clean Healthy Carrots Fresh From My Garden Plus...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:25:51 GMT

Perfect carrots are coming up. After my first-up carrots looked half ruined I'm now delighted.

Now this sexy dancing carrot was harvested today. And it looks just how I feel. Because the carrots are coming up perfect. Not a sign of carrot root fly and no splitting. These rows haven't been thinned until now. See my entry for 6th July for an outline of what happened. The potato harvest from a raised bed is looking great too. More later...

Aug 28, Onion Garden & Torrential Rain

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:23:33 GMT

Heavy rain over the last two days has got me worried about my onions. They need to be ripening in the sun. More heavy rain and I fear they will begin to rot. At least they will be hard to dry and then more likely to spoil in store.

Picked today
compare size with
a good plum

The leaves on my onions are robust standing upright mostly green. It seems a shame to pull them up. But the bulbs are mostly a good size. It would be worse for them to rot in store. Today, I weeded out the onions to let every bit of sunlight in and for air to circulate. Now I need some baking hot days - But more likely I'll have to lift the onions into a bright, warm dry place - my greenhouse shelf - to thoroughly dry them before storage. Links to The Gardening Sales are here. Upcoming Webpages
If you're looking for more pictures of plants and gardening I have lots. I'll be posting more on future pages. Indeed a whole new page devoted to gardening pictures is planned. And if you want to send me your garden pictures and experiences I'll soon be providing a facility for you to do that here as well. My section on flower gardening is badly out of date. The whole section is soon to be updated. Here's a sneek preview. Flowers in an organic garden. About flowers to grow for cutting. A page on how to prepare and keep a flower display.
Lots more coming... I look forward to posting your comments too. Don't forget, you can contact me here and sign up for my newsletter. Happy gardening :)

Aug 22, Plan Your Future With Gardening

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:47:45 GMT

When you buy a big item with %taken off in the sales, you could save enough money to buy several additonal items too. For me that means advanced machinery or garden furniture. Plan for your future in the garden - See this link to get money off your garden. And take advantage of the gardening sales Happy Gardening :-)

Aug 12, Your Garden Tool Shed

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 21:19:42 GMT

Visit my garden tool shed for the essential cutting edge garden tools. You'll find efficient, ergonomic and easy to handle gardening equipment recommended and used by a practical organic gardener. There's also tips on how to get the most from garden tools and how to use them properly and with less effort.

Aug 11, Gardening Sales Are On

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:36:55 GMT

Beat the uncertain times with gardening that provides for you. You'll be able to take care of it in less time and for less money with the help of these links.

U.K. Gardeners click here for offers.	American Gardeners click here for offers.
	For a better future click here to sow organic seeds now.

Gardening Tools, Equipment & Garden Furniture: Huge reductions available on this very popular gardener's store. %$vvv.

Check Out My Recommended Multi-Function Garden Machines:
Tidy up your garden now with these tools.

Seeds & Plants: To beat everyone else on price click here - I've checked it out. And - with the codes below - you can add these freebies.
1 Free Peony with any purchase, code 1401
15 Free Freesias with any order, code 1392
1 Free Rose with any order, code 1391
3 free Peacock Orchid Bulbs with any purchase! Use special coupon G5666
exact choice is subject to availability

Pole Trimmers & Multi-function Garden Tools Are So Handy
I love tools like these. One motor to power several specialised tool heads. With all the right tools in one machine you can cut through your job with ease. Find out more and get links for your country here.

Gardening Tools, Equipment & Garden Furniture: Reductions available on hundreds of products.

Seeds & Plants: Reap the rewards from your garden by with these Summer Season offers ****(do try garlic to protect your organic garden) and
don't forget to plant short season potato tubers in containers now for a Christmas harvest of new potatoes.

Check Out My Recommended Multi-Function Garden Machines:
Tidy up your garden now with these tools.

Reductions On Garden Machinery For Easier Affordable Gardening:
Click here and if you spend more
than 300 pounds use voucher code MowDirect20 to save 20 pounds. Delivery is Free

Pole Trimmers & Multi-function Garden Tools Are So Handy
I love tools like these. One motor to power several specialised tool heads. With all the right tools in one machine you can cut through your job with ease. Find out more and get links for your country here.

You can look optimistically to the future with gardening.
Come back soon and...

Happy gardening :-)

Aug 10, Organic Gardening Power Tool

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:02:25 GMT

You can do lots of gardening jobs and get a more professional looking finish with help from a gardening power tool. You'll also find information here about versatile interchangeable power tools where one motor does it all.

Aug 10, Hedge Trimmers

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:02:24 GMT

Find hedge trimmers that suit your hedge and cutting style. The gardener describes the advantages of modern hedge trimmer designs.

Aug 6, Garden Tools On Top Of Computers

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:53:25 GMT

So my computer had a hardware problem.
And anyway the gardening tools always win! Indeed they are getting better. Take a look at the pole trimmers! These multi-tool new designs make light easy work (see links). One tool can do 2 or 3 jobs, top of hedge, side of hedge, lawn edging, and strimming (string trimmer style). Multi-Tool Kit for UK Gardeners is here. The motor balances the weight of the tool. And you can choose cordless, electric or gas engines. UK gardeners take advantage of the Gardening Sales Now - plus you get 20 pounds off if you decide to spend 300 pounds with the voucher posted on this link.

Jul 30, Small Blog For Big Organic Gardening

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:45:40 GMT

I have so much to write I often don't know where to begin. Well that's my reason for not blogging more frequently. So I'll keep this quick and simple. Dry weather doesn't help much, so here's a tip. Water your potatoes in the evening with a focused stream of water under the leaves. This is most important because hot humid conditions are ideal for potato blight infection. Secondly, I suggest that you water your cabbage, cauliflower etc... in the morning. Why? Because evening watering will aid slugs and snails on their destrucitve paths. Always avoid watering during the hot middle of the day. The harvests are coming in lovely. But we should be thinking ahead. It's nearly time to sow Japanese Onions in the ground that's free'd up. And soon I will be sowing Spring Cabbage in trays to plant out in early autumn. Check my recently added page on crop rotation to see how they could be fitted in. And if you haven't ordered any seed potatoes then now's the time if you don't want to miss out on a harvest of fresh new spuds for Christmas. See my page on potato bins and potato varieties. Well, there's loads more to write - I'll come back soon and blog it. Happy Gardening :)

Jul 6, Organic Gardening - pest control & more

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:53:50 GMT

The first Gooseberries are in as my bush 'Invicta' - always my best cropper - was bending over with the weight.

Tips On Organic Pest Control

Carrot Root Fly
This year my garden has an obvious infestation of Carrot Root fly - with the leaves turning yellow. Unusually this year, I haven't sown spring onions in the carrot rows. And I sowed earlier too. Thinning and weeding disturbed the ground enough to attract the pest. The biological control for Carrot Fly called "Grow Your Own" is available to UK gardeners on this link. American gardeners can find similar biological controls for familiar pests here. And check the other biological controls listed there. Natural controls like these are better than chemicals. Organic Control of Slugs & Snails
The dry weather has kept the slugs and snails down here. But other gardeners have not faired so well. Where there's a problem you should water the garden in the morning or early enough for it to dry out before nightfall. Keep the soil finely chopped and remove organic debris. Slugs can be worse under netting or cloches where they are somewhat protected... Put down a strategically located hiding place for slugs such as a brick or tile. You can then lift the lid and kill them. When you go out in the late evening by torch light you may find many of the critters out and about. Sometimes it's just one or two creatures that are doing all the damage. Experiment with Garlic:- 2 cloves squashed into 2L water, & boiled for 20 mins or so. Then made back to 2L & left to steep. Studies at Newcastle University found that larger amounts of Garlic actually killed slugs! However, the homemade liquid doesn't stick to cabbage leaves... but the smell is pretty powerful. Beer traps are very effective. I found the cheapest beer which was then Heinekin Premium worked very well - for slugs and snails. Forster's Amber Nectar definitely didn't reach as many of the parts that Heinekin reached. You can make a cheaper and effective alcoholic solution from sugar and yeast in a sealed container. Nemaslug is also worth trying if you have a very bad infestation. This has the advantage of killing the small ones and reducing the next generation. Nemaslug is available to UK gardeners on this link. American gardeners can find similar biological controls for other familiar pests here. There are many other biological controls listed here.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
More To Do:
Keep sowing crops to harvest in succession: Lettuce, Spring Onions, Beetroot, Runner Beans, French Beans, Endive... ... there are many choice varieties for extra flavour. Grow even more seeds & plants - with the best value for American Gardeners.

Get more variety in your garden below:
Grow The World In Your Garden on this link. Link below is about lawn care... Naturally Happy Gardening :)

Jun 24, Organic Tomato Fertilizer

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:24:23 GMT

Healthy plants from an organic tomato fertilizer that also works for several kinds of greenhouse and herbaceous fruit. To enjoy all the health benefits of your tomatoes visit here.

Jun 23, Practically Green - organic gardening

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:07:06 GMT

New pages on organic lawn care are now online.
And you'll save money:
1 - by not using chemical weed killers,
2 - by re-using the organic matter and organic fertilizer that's already in your lawn cuttings. But remember:- if you want to recycle lawn cuttings you simply can't use selective weed killers on your lawn. There's more about composting grass cuttings here.

The June Drop

Small fruit fall to the ground this month as your bushes cast off surplus. When the birds find these they'll discover all the rest too. Don't forget to protect your fruit bushes. See below for help on protecting plants.

Gardening Weather

The weather is always a mixed blessing. And UK weather has been dry dry dry which has at least kept the slugs and snails down. Rain now couldn't be better. It helps to swell up your outdoor fruit and potato crops. However, a large down pour onto dried out soil can lead to soft fruit splitting. Keep a steady water supply to tomatoes and keep outdoor fruit weeded and well mulched.

Crop Readiness

My tomatoes are early this year - the fruit are swelling as I write. Broad Bean pods look ready for picking too but need a little longer for the seeds to swell.

Seeds

The dry days have delayed some seeds. But keep sowing Salad Leaves, Beetroot, Pak Choi, Chop Suey Greens, Spring Onions, Runner Beans, French Beans, and the like... ... Sow in succession for a steady supply.

Spring Rush To Summer Care

Except for the successional sowing noted above, the rush to sow and plant early and maincrops is complete. I still have some summer flowers to sow. Now it's time to: protect your crops, stake up plants, pinch out shoots for shape, keep plants watered and fed, as well as dead heading, and of course harvesting.
Find plant protection netting here. More later... Happy Gardening :-)