Dahlias: nature’s lollipops
Ornamentals
Plant dahlias about 7cm deep, 30cm apart in full sun. They do best in rich, well-drained soil but are quite tolerant of different soils. Keep well-watered and feed with a potash-rich fertiliser once flowers appear. They will not flower as well if overfed with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser, or if there’s insufficient sun or water.
Continue planting gladioli to achieve a long summer-flowering period.
Feed spring-flowering bulbs with a liquid fertiliser, or mulch around them with compost.
Prune fuchsias firmly to encourage an abundance of blooms.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs once flowering is finished.
Sow annuals direct into the garden by scattering on bare earth and covering with a fine layer of soil. As a rule, the bigger the seed, the deeper it should be sown.
Treat yourself to a garden tour or to a festival. They are usually fun and inspiring – and raise money for good causes.
Edibles
By all means, sow them under cover, but hold off planting courgettes, eggplants, peppers, pumpkins and tomatoes outside for at least another fortnight in all but the warmest districts – till the ground dries up and warms a little, air temperatures lift, and the weather is more settled.
In the meantime, prepare their beds by clearing weeds and incorporating organic matter – preferably compost, or sheep pellets – into the soil. Fans of the no-dig method of gardening can just pile it on top.
Think about positioning: courgettes, aubergines, peppers and pumpkins are sun lovers, while generally, leafy crops will cope with a bit of shade.
Tomatoes also like a sunny spot with good airflow – to help combat fungal diseases.
Over Labour Weekend, the garden centres will be full of tomato plants, so it’s a great time to buy. Each year garden centres and farmers markets seem to stock more and more varieties and it pays to have a rough idea of your preferences – big and fleshy for cooking, small and sweet to pop in your mouth, acid-free...
Try to remember any varieties that did particularly well (or badly) in your garden in previous years. Failing that, spread your bets and buy several different types.
Carrots, leeks, lettuces, onions, parsnips and radishes may be sown direct into the garden. A fine tilth will yield best results – both in germination rates and, later, in the health of plants.
Hold off sowing corn outside until around mid November.
Netting might be needed now over strawberries to stop birds picking off ripening fruit before you get to it.
– Mary Lovell-Smith