Tips for summer gardening

Veges

· Summer is a rapid growth season in the garden so pay special attention to watering, weeding and feeding. · Water in the early morning or evening, especially those in containers that will dry out quickly in the heat. · Plant seedlings such as lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, tomato, sweetcorn, beetroot, courgette, cucumber, melons, capsicum, and pumpkin.

· Feed tomatoes at least once a week with an organic liquid feed. Firmly stake tall varieties of tomatoes and make sure to remove laterals (shoots that grow in the v shape between the stalk and branch). Water regularly.

· Apply a good layer of mulch around veggies to help keep moisture in.

· Feed fruit trees to encourage more fruit and water well to help prevent fruit drop.

· Protect plants from caterpillars with an organic caterpillar control, or pick them off yourself regularly to keep numbers down.

· Seeds such as beans, parsnips, lettuce and sweetcorn can still be sown directly into the soil. For a continuous harvest sow seeds roughly every two weeks.

Lawn

· For greener lawns keep them a little longer than usual, this will prevent them from drying out so quickly. · Letting some clover or flowering weeds grow in your lawn will attract insect life such as bees and provide some much needed food for them.

Flowers

· Sow your favourite flower seeds such as marigolds, zinnia, cyclamen, cosmos.

· Plant seedlings such as salvia, gypsophila, dianthus, chrysanthemum.

· Remove dead flowers from roses to encourage new blooms. · Perennials and roses can still be planted, water in well.

· Lift flowering spring bulbs once the leaves have died down completely. Store in a cool dry place. g