... But thankfully I think my plants are salvageable
Chives have to be one of my favourite herbs to grow in the kitchen garden, not only for their tasty leaves but also for their bee-attracting flowers, which literally ‘buzz’ all day. I grow a selection of varieties, from the regular pink-flowered types to garlic chives and even ‘Cha Cha’ chives, which produce small pompom heads made of leaves rather than flowers.
No matter the variety you can rejuvenate the plants if you want more tender growth and aren't leaving the flower heads to produce seeds. Simply chop the entire plant off at just above ground level (saving the leaves to eat, or freezing for later use), then give the plants a good water and feed with a general-purpose fertiliser, and within around four to five weeks your plants will have started to produce tender new growth. Alternatively, if you want to leave some flowers to set seed, you can just cut half the plant back to produce new growth and leave the rest to mature.
It’s full steam ahead with harvesting this week and I’m starting with my garlic as they’re suffering with rust. I want them out of the ground so the problem doesn't spread to my autumn and winter leeks, as severe cases can cause plants to lose vigour and not crop as well. The orangeRust
As greenhouse crops start to become fruitful, remember that you can harvest chillies at different times for lesser or more heat from each fruit. Most chillies ripen from green to red, brown or orange; with a few like my ‘Buena Mulata’ ripening from a lovely purple through to
orange/red. If you want a milder heat it’s best to