Weekend gardener: keep lavender in trim
Edibles
Sow Asian greens, coriander, kohl rabi, lettuce, parsley, rocket, silver beet, sorrel, spinach, spring cabbage and spring onions.
Lift pumpkins onto the likes of a piece of wood to stop soil damage. Also remove any leaves shading them as they need as much light as possible to ripen.
Pick runner and French beans regularly to encourage further production. And pinch out the tops of the plants when they reach the top of their support (tepee, frame etc) and they will put their energy into pod production.
Plant out savoy cabbages and cauliflowers. Divide established clumps of chives. Sow green manure in any bare ground.
Pinch out the top of tomato plants to concentrate growth into fruit that has already formed.
If your fruit trees are heavily laden and pulling the branches down, try propping them up with lengths of wood or sturdy, straight(ish) branches stripped of offshoots and twigs etc. The alternative is often a snapped branch and loss of this year’s and future years’ fruit.
Tomato blight
Keep an eye out for early signs of tomato blight – wilting and dying leaves are a sure giveaway – and remove affected plant immediately, and destroy, or it will spread to nearby plants. Do not put it in your compost.
Prevention is best, so rotate crops from year to year. Plant disease-resistant hybrids for a better chance of being blight-free. Plant tomatoes at least 60cm apart to allow air among the leaves, which helps keep them dry. Water the soil – not the plants – and avoid overhead watering.
Healthy plants are less likely to be affected, so feed and water them regularly to prevent stress. And keep weed free.
Ornamentals
Trim lavender plants after flowering to keep them compact.
Keep camellias and rhododendrons well watered so next year’s buds develop well.
There is still time to scatter some annual seeds around for an autumn display. Try bishops flower, calendula, candytuft, lobelia, marigold petunia, phacelia, stock and dwarf sunflowers. Sowing perennials this month for flowering next summer is a cheap and satisfying way to fill your ornamental beds.
Gather seeds as they become ready (usually they turn papery and brown or black) from perennials and annuals.
Prune rambling roses, removing up to a third of stems that have flowered, and tie the rest to supports.