GARDENING JOBS FOR THE WEEK
BY THIS stage of the summer, strawberries are likely to have produced runners — the long stems that carry plantlets at intervals. Each of these develops roots as soon as it touches the soil, resulting in a young plant. These should be removed from adult strawberry plants.
If you want to expand your strawberry plot, select the largest and healthiest runners and pot them up or re-plant in rows.
Never use runners from diseased or weakened strawberry plants. If any show signs of virus or diseases, dig them out and destroy them.
And if friends or fellow gardeners offer you strawberry runners, make sure they are from healthy parent plants.
THIN YOUR FRUIT TREES
DURING June, you may have noticed a number of small apples, pears or other baby fruits falling from their trees in considerable numbers. Known as the June drop, this is a normal pattern, caused by the tree regulating its fruit burden. If you want to gather quality fruits later in the year, it will help to thin them out a little more. Apples and pears in clusters should be reduced to no more than one per cluster for apples or two for pears. Aim to leave at least 10cm space between each fruit. With plums (pictured left), make sure there’s a clear gap between each fruit along the branch. Aim for at least 5cm. Plum wood can be brittle, and where crops are heavy, thinning is essential. Thinned crops also grow larger fruits with a higher sugar content, which will taste sweeter.