Posts Tagged ‘sowing seeds’

September Gardening Advice

September 1st, 2021 | News | Comments Off on September Gardening Advice

September Gardening Advice 2021

With the sun setting a little earlier each day, September is the crossroads month. We may still enjoy those warm days and orange glow sunsets, but the nights are drawing in and the temperatures are dropping. It’s a month of change.

However, the good news is that veg plots are brimming with crops that need to be eaten or stored. From potatoes to onions to runner beans, your hard work has come to fruition. Squashes and pumpkins have taken on their plump autumnal glow, and autumn raspberries tantalise you with their juicy ripeness.

As the saying goes, ‘make hay while the sun shines’, which means we need to get out there and harvest. In a few weeks, the warmer weather will be no more than a distant memory, and autumn will be snapping at our heels. So, let’s enjoy the last of the sunshine and savour the rich reds and burnt oranges of tithonias, dahlias and zinnias.

In the flower garden

Greenhouse

With your tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, peppers, aubergines, and melon now spent, it’s time to clean your greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame. Burn or dispose of old plants and remove all empty pots and containers, as these maybe harbouring pests.

Ensure all glass is cleaned; warm soapy water should do the trick. Don’t forget to clean the greenhouse floor too, as potential pests and diseases could still be lurking. Pack away any shading you put up during the summer months.

If you’re planning to grow anything in the next few months, then your greenhouse will need as much light and warmth as possible. Carry out any maintenance needed, clean leaves from guttering (including downpipes and water butts), and test any greenhouse heaters.

Lawn

By now, lawns could be looking a little worse for wear, and will need a little attention so they can go into winter untroubled. Re-lay any bare patches with new turf, or re-sow seeds directly into the soil. Scarify, aerate and apply a dressing to the lawn. Keep edging in check and remove any fallen foliage, as this can encourage thatching. The change of season will mean the grass will slow its growth and you’ll be mowing less frequently.

Flower beds

Although we’re enjoying the last moments of summer’s touch, it’s time to look ahead to next spring. As you clear away the last of the summer bedding, give your borders a refresh. If you’re not planting autumn flowers, such as chrysanthemums, clear weeds, add compost or mulch and think about what to plant for the following spring. Biennial varieties such as wall flowers, foxgloves, as well as polyanthus, pansies and sweet Williams, can now be planted. This will give the plants enough time to get their roots established before the colder weather bites.

Perennials

With the ground still warm, new perennials should be planted before the colder weather arrives. For perennials that are still blooming, continue to deadhead and tie-in. If they’ve given their best, think about digging them up, dividing and replanting. Not only are you invigorating the clump, but you’re getting more flowers for your money. Ensure these plants are well watered in and mulched.

Another way to increase plant stock is to take cuttings. Tender perennials, such as penstemons, salvias and fuchsias are ideal for this. Once potted up, they will quickly establish a healthy root system. Place them in a sunny, protected area that’s frost free. Overwatering, or keeping them somewhere damp, may lead to dampening off, so check on your cuttings regularly.

Hanging baskets

To keep hanging baskets blooming, continue to feed, water and deadhead regularly. However, if summer baskets are spent, think about replacing them with a winter display. Consider plants such as polyanthus, crocus, cyclamen and trailing ivy. Plant up with fresh compost and water in well.

Bulbs

It might be a touch early to plant your tulip and allium bulbs for next year, but other bulbs are ready to go. Plant amaryllis and hyacinth bulbs now. Force their growth and you’ll be enjoying their colourful blooms come the festive season.

If you’re thinking a little further ahead to next spring, then daffodil and lily bulbs can also be planted. Plant them into flower beds to the depth of three times their height, or consider pots and containers if space is an issue.

Sowing

Plants such as sweet peas, centaurea and poppies can now be sown into trays or modules. Don’t let them dry out and, as temperatures slowly start to drop, ensure preparations are made to see them through the colder months.

On the veg patch

Fruit

You should now have rich pickings of apples and pears, and what can’t be eaten straightaway can be stored. Firstly, check that none are spoilt, then place them on dry sand in a paper-lined box, ensuring none are touching. Place the box somewhere dark and cool, such as a pantry or cellar, and check every so often to make sure none have gone off.

As long as you keep picking, autumn raspberries will continue to produce fruit right up until the first frost.

Whether they’re newly bought plants or runners you took from your own plants, strawberry plants need to be planted. The ground is still warm, so this will give them enough time to get established.

With the fruit all harvested, complete your summer pruning. Tie in all trees and bushes, and give them a feed or mulch.

Harvest

With the last of the tomatoes harvested, place any remaining green fruit in a paper-lined shoebox with a ripened banana and keep them somewhere warm. Check regularly and remove them once reddened. Failing that, green tomatoes make excellent chutney.

Continue to harvest vegetables such as courgettes and marrows. Any onions still in the ground should be lifted, dried and stored.

The vine on certain squashes and pumpkins may now be cracked and withered. This is a tell-tale sign that the crop is ready for harvesting. Cut the vine away, a few centimetres above the fruit, then leave them somewhere dry and bright for a few days so the skin can harden off. Finally, store somewhere cool and dark.

Sow

With an empty cold frame or greenhouse, consider sowing hardy lettuce or spinach over the colder months. Varieties to consider are lambs lettuce, miner’s lettuce and perpetual spinach. If you want to fill a few empty vegetable beds, autumn planting garlic, onion sets and shallot sets are all fit for purpose. However, if your vegetable beds are to remain empty, try sowing green manure. This will suppress weeds and help break up heavy, clay soil. Come March, cut up the foliage and dig it into the soil, as this will provide many of the soil’s required nutrients.

Pests and diseases

Pest and diseases are still very much present, including wasps. With plenty of ripening fruit, they could potentially spoil your crop, so hang wasp traps in trees and bushes.

However, as wasps are also beneficial for your garden (they eat aphids, caterpillars and other pests as well as being good pollinators), you may want to consider a more humane way to deter them. One option is to cover your crops with fine netting or mesh.

Other jobs

  • Bring in any indoor plants you rested outside over the summer months.
  • Reduce the frequency of watering your houseplants.
  • Prune roses that are no longer flowering.
  • Continue deadheading dahlias.
  • Plant up herbs for the winter months ahead.
  • Order allium and tulip bulbs for next spring.

Written by Ade Sellars, garden writer and presenter.

July Gardening Advice

July 1st, 2021 | The flower garden, The vegetable garden | Comments Off on July Gardening Advice

For months now we’ve been sowing and growing, with dreams of turning empty beds into rows of swelling veg and blooming flowers. Well, summer has arrived and at long last our dreams are being realised. But before we can take to the deck chair, there’s still plenty to be done.

Regular weeding, watering and feeding will help maintain a healthy garden. After all, you wouldn’t want to undo all those months of hard work, so keep the watering can and hoe close at hand. Also, if you are going to do any gardening in this weather, remember to wear sun cream and a hat, and keep yourself hydrated.

So, take a moment to appreciate everything you’ve created, and enjoy a bountiful summer.

In the flower garden

Watering

With temperatures at their warmest, think about the amount of water you’re using. Ideally, you should consider watering either early in the morning or at dusk. With the sun out of sight, water evaporation isn’t an issue, which will keep your beds and borders hydrated for longer. Try to water at the base of plants, as water droplets on the foliage could potentially burn your plant or encourage mildew and other diseases. If you have plants growing in terracotta pots, dampen them. As they’re porous, they can suffer from water evaporation which can dry out your plants. Place saucers under all pots to capture water loss.

To keep those water bills down, consider getting yourself a water butt to collect rainwater. With a wide range to choose from, you can have them as visible or discreet as you like. Set them up alongside your greenhouse, or next to a drainpipe, and your plants will soon reap the benefits.

Another option is ‘grey’ water. Whether it’s used washing up water or bath water, as long as it doesn’t contain salt or bleach, then it’s fit for purpose.

For a floral challenge, why not introduce drought tolerant plants to your garden design to help reduce watering. With sedum ‘Atlantis’ being the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show ‘Plant of the Year’, drought tolerant plants have definitely becoming more popular in the last few years.

Greenhouse

Hot temperatures outside will mean even warmer temperatures for your greenhouse. Just a few degrees can cause your young plants to shrivel and die. Introduce shading to your glass roof, keep all vents and doors open to encourage a steady airflow, and water the floor daily to deter red spider mite. You may also want to hang up insect tape for further pest control.

Feed

If you haven’t done so already, now’s the time to introduce a plant feed. Plants such as dahlias and roses will need that extra boost to help them continue producing flowers for the rest of the season. Nutrients in pots, containers and hanging baskets will quickly deplete, so give container plants a weekly feed.

Maintenance

Many rose varieties will have already flowered, so deadhead and feed them to encourage a second bloom in the coming weeks. If you discover rust or black spot on the leaves, cut away the affected foliage and remove from the site. For the one-time season bloomers, you may want to refrain from deadheading. Instead, allow their hips to develop, as this will make a welcome attraction in the autumn months.

Whilst you’re deadheading your roses, it’s good to deadhead both bedding sweet peas and perennial plants. Not only will this encourage further flowers, it’ll stop the plant from going to seed. For spent penstemons, cut to just above a bud to bring on new flowers.

Clematis wilt can be a problem at this time of year, leaving leaves discoloured and distorted. If spotted, cut away affected foliage and either burn or remove from site.

For tall and climbing plants, add a support structure and continue to tie-in.

Bearded iris

Bearded irises can now be lifted and divided. When replanting, ensure the rhizome is sat on the soil, half exposed. The warm sun will quickly help to establish them and ensure they flower next season. You should cut all foliage down by two thirds, ensuring all the energy is going into the rhizome.

New plants

Although it’s the height of summer, seeds can now be sown in greenhouses and transplanted at a later date for blooms next year. Flowers include forget-me-not, foxgloves and wallflowers. Cuttings can also be taken from hydrangeas, laurel and pyracantha.

On the veg patch

Potatoes

Second early potatoes should be ready for digging up. If you’re not sure, wait until the plants have flowered, then have a little dig around in the soil to find your spuds. If they’re ready, it won’t take long for you to uncover them.

Dig up what you need and leave the rest of the tubers to grow on. Or if you’re hoping to use the potato plot to grow a new crop, dig them all up. Try to do it on a sunny day and place your freshly dug potatoes on the plot surface for a few hours to dry a little. Store them in hessian sacks and keep in a cool, dark room. Check them every so often to make sure they haven’t spoilt.

If you’re dreaming of eating freshly-grown spuds on Christmas Day, now’s the time to plant them. If you’re not using potato grow bags, consider large containers. As the cold weather returns and the temperatures drop, you’ll need to move them somewhere where the frost can’t get to them.

Harvesting

Many of your plants will be ready for harvesting. Try to pick courgettes, beans and peas regularly. This will ensure the plant continues to produce. Letting these crops grow past their best can encourage pests or send a signal to the plant to stop growing altogether. Carrots, beetroot, chard and salad leaves will also be ready for harvesting.

Tomatoes

There comes a point when you should pinch-out the tops of your cordon tomatoes. Ideally, do it once you have five or six trusses, and before the plant reaches the roof of your greenhouse. Feed regularly, and keep the energy going into the fruit by pinching out all side shoots. Don’t let plants dry out or water them irregularly, as this can encourage blossom end rot. Finally, remove any leaves beneath the first truss of tomatoes, as this will help circulation and prevent the build-up of pests and diseases.

Pests and disease

Squashes, pumpkins and courgettes should be plumping up nicely, but be aware of powdery mildew. If you notice this on your plants then remove the affected leaves. Do not place on your compost heap, as this will encourage the bacteria. Either burn or remove from the site completely.

Weevils, blackfly, greenfly, aphids, slugs and snails will be trying their best to ruin your hard work. If chemicals aren’t an option, try hosing them off your plants, or spray with soapy water. Another option is to crush a clove or two of garlic and add it to the water in your spritzer bottle, as garlic deters pests. A morning or evening stroll around your plot is the perfect time for picking off slugs and snails.

Alliums

Both garlic and onions should now be ready to pull. Choose a sunny day and lay them out on the topsoil to dry. Failing that, dry them in your greenhouse or polytunnel. Once dried, they can be stored and used when you’re ready.

Winter veg

You mention winter and people shudder. yet it’s something we need to keep at the back of our minds. If you’re hoping for a harvest of winter veg, then you should be thinking about planting them out into their final growing positions. Vegetables to consider are brassicas, leeks and swede.

Fruit

Hungry birds will make light work of strawberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants or blackberries, so net your fruit.

Strawberry plants will now be producing runners. If you want new plants for next year, pin the runners to the soil. Once they establish a root system, cut the runner from the main plant. Alternatively, if you want to maximise this year’s crop, remove the runners to divert the energy to the existing fruit.

This is also the month for pruning fruit trees, such as plum and cherry. The warmer weather reduces the risk of bacteria harming an open wound, and setting off silver leaf disease. Summer pruning can also be carried out on trained apple and pear trees.

Other Jobs

  • Check indoor plants daily for the onset of pests. Ensure plants haven’t dried out and if need be move them to a cooler spot.
  • Give houseplants a weekly feed.
  • Collect seeds from your favourite plants. Keep them in brown paper bags or envelopes and label them, then store them somewhere cool and dry. Theses can be sown for new plants new year.
  • Raise the blades on your lawnmower. A higher cut will help the grass retain moisture and look greener.

Written by Ade Sellars, garden writer and presenter.

Seasol, A Seaweed Product for All Seasons

July 9th, 2019 | News | Comments Off on Seasol, A Seaweed Product for All Seasons

Mr Fothergill’s Seasol Seaweed Concentrate offers a wide window of sales, almost the whole of the gardening season.

This long sales product improves seed germination and root growth. Studies confirmed that soaking seeds in Seasol prior to sowing, or watering with Seasol immediately after sowing, gives seeds the best possible start in life and leads to vigorous, uniform plants.

Soaking seeds in Seasol prior to sowing will give them the best start in life Water seeds with Seasol immediately after sowing for vigorous, uniform plants.

As well as being watered directly into the soil for uptake at the roots, Seasol can also be applied as a foliar spray for fast absorption of nutrients, throughout the life of plants. What’s more it’s chemical free, it’s even been shown to provide improved frost resistance.

Marketing Manager Ian Cross said: “The great thing about Seasol is that because it is a natural plant tonic, you can use it regularly throughout all stages of growth, from seed to mature plant, unlike general fertilisers.’’

Seasol is an all-natural plant tonic

Seasol is an all-natural plant tonic, offering a complete treatment for all areas of the garden, promoting healthy growth of plants, flowers, vegetables and even lawns. It contains useful micro-nutrients and is rich in trace elements, all of which plants need to support strong healthy growth. Regular use has proven to help plants cope with stresses such as heat, drought and frost as well as increases resistance to garden pests and diseases.

A 1L bottle has a RRP of £7.99 and the 4L offering is priced at £19.99. To find out more about the Mr Fothergill’s range, log on at www.mr-fothergills-trade.com or telephone 01638 554111.

Sow Seeds with Ease with the Mr Fothergill’s Pro-Seeder

April 9th, 2019 | News | Comments Off on Sow Seeds with Ease with the Mr Fothergill’s Pro-Seeder

Sow Seeds with Ease with the Mr Fothergill's Pro-Seeder

Here at Mr Fothergill’s we believe that gardening is for everyone, and should be accessible to everyone, too. But when it comes to sowing seeds, especially those pesky smaller ones like tomato, lettuce or begonia seeds for example, problems can arise when trying to sow one seed at a time, particularly if you have a disability or dexterity issue that makes sowing seeds difficult. The Mr Fothergill’s Pro-Seeder is great for tackling this problem.

The Pro-Seeder is a great little gadget which allows you to sow seeds of all shapes and sizes one at a time – no seed is wasted and it reduces the need for thinning out seedlings later. It works on a suction method and full easy-to-follow instructions are included, featuring a key diagram to show which nozzle to use when sowing seed.

Recently blogger Ross Minton, AKA Grow Your Own Life, who regularly vlogs about his allotment as well as his own experience with disability, reviewed our Pro-Seeder as a person with a disability that causes dexterity issues and therefore affects his ability to sow some of the smaller seeds by hand.

Check out Ross’s Pro-Seeder vlog below, which includes a full demonstration of how to use the Pro-Seeder. Be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter and Instagram for more content, and join the conversation with the hashtags #AnyoneCanGarden and #InvisibleDisability.

Buy your own Pro-Seeder here from the Mr Fothergill’s website.