Pete’s topical tips for Summer
Wet and warm means potato blight – if you grow potatoes and/or tomatoes outside it is worth a preventative spray. Do this every three weeks until harvested. If your tomatoes have set a second truss, start feeding! Any of the proprietary feeds will be fine – I like to feed at every watering at a reduced rate. If you grow any of the cabbage family it is worth giving them a high nitrogen feed as they are gross feeders.
When I walk along the path to my allotment I notice so many plots with miserable little plants. People just don’t realize they can’t keep growing crops year on year without putting nutrients back into the soil. I try and put farmyard manure over half the plot every year and also put a general fertilizer over the rest – Growmore or one of the other granular fertilizers are fine.
Trying to grow organically? Use fish, blood and bone - but I do find that you need to hoe this in or every dog or fox in the area will come and lick it up – and probably dig up the plants as well! This also applies to garden plants in borders.
When visiting gardens open to the public, look at the rose beds – almost all will show mulchings of garden compost and/or farmyard manure resulting in dark green glossy leaves, big flowers and very little black spot. Feed, feed, feed is the answer.
Summer Show tips –
Saturday 16 August main show – Sunday 10 August for pots and hanging baskets.
Make sure you read the schedule thoroughly – you can get a copy from me or one of the committee, or download one from the website at www.bishamptongardeningclub.org.uk
Vegetables – potatoes should be washed clean and be even in size. Beans and peas should always be picked with a bit of stem and be even in size. Use a torch behind the pea pod to show any missing peas. Tomatoes should always be shown with the calyx on, so use secateurs or scissors to pick them.
Onions should have their tops cut off and be tied with raffia or soft string. Don’t show any with split skins, don’t overskin; there is nothing worse than an unripe onion.The same for shallots – tie the tops neatly and try not to overskin them.
Flowers – look for freshness and evenness – remove any damaged foliage if it doesn’t leave the exhibit looking unbalanced. Make sure to put the right number of stems or the judge will ignore them. If it says a single bloom don’t leave small buts showing – cut them off neatly.
Fruit - always leave the stalk and try to leave the natural bloom on. If you’re showing raspberry or blackberry type fruit, they should not be ‘plugged’ – they need their little stalks left on.
Pot plants have the diameter measured on the inside of the rim. Make sure the pot is clean and remove any dead flowers. Better to show a plant with a few flowers open and plenty to come rather than one that is coming to the end of the flowering season. Good luck!
Wet and warm means potato blight – if you grow potatoes and/or tomatoes outside it is worth a preventative spray. Do this every three weeks until harvested. If your tomatoes have set a second truss, start feeding! Any of the proprietary feeds will be fine – I like to feed at every watering at a reduced rate. If you grow any of the cabbage family it is worth giving them a high nitrogen feed as they are gross feeders.
When I walk along the path to my allotment I notice so many plots with miserable little plants. People just don’t realize they can’t keep growing crops year on year without putting nutrients back into the soil. I try and put farmyard manure over half the plot every year and also put a general fertilizer over the rest – Growmore or one of the other granular fertilizers are fine.
Trying to grow organically? Use fish, blood and bone - but I do find that you need to hoe this in or every dog or fox in the area will come and lick it up – and probably dig up the plants as well! This also applies to garden plants in borders.
When visiting gardens open to the public, look at the rose beds – almost all will show mulchings of garden compost and/or farmyard manure resulting in dark green glossy leaves, big flowers and very little black spot. Feed, feed, feed is the answer.
Summer Show tips –
Saturday 16 August main show – Sunday 10 August for pots and hanging baskets.
Make sure you read the schedule thoroughly – you can get a copy from me or one of the committee, or download one from the website at www.bishamptongardeningclub.org.uk
Vegetables – potatoes should be washed clean and be even in size. Beans and peas should always be picked with a bit of stem and be even in size. Use a torch behind the pea pod to show any missing peas. Tomatoes should always be shown with the calyx on, so use secateurs or scissors to pick them.
Onions should have their tops cut off and be tied with raffia or soft string. Don’t show any with split skins, don’t overskin; there is nothing worse than an unripe onion.The same for shallots – tie the tops neatly and try not to overskin them.
Flowers – look for freshness and evenness – remove any damaged foliage if it doesn’t leave the exhibit looking unbalanced. Make sure to put the right number of stems or the judge will ignore them. If it says a single bloom don’t leave small buts showing – cut them off neatly.
Fruit - always leave the stalk and try to leave the natural bloom on. If you’re showing raspberry or blackberry type fruit, they should not be ‘plugged’ – they need their little stalks left on.
Pot plants have the diameter measured on the inside of the rim. Make sure the pot is clean and remove any dead flowers. Better to show a plant with a few flowers open and plenty to come rather than one that is coming to the end of the flowering season. Good luck!