10 top tips for gardening
Government advice during the current coronavirus crisis is social distancing. This means not going out unless for food, and once a day for exercise, but it is also recognised that there is a need to maintain good mental health. One way to do this is gardening, whether inside, on a balcony or yard, or in the garden. There are many ways to enjoy this pastime but be mindful not to create too much waste as some local authorities have put in place restrictions. RHS Principal Horticultural Advisor Leigh Hunt suggests growing your own fruit and vegetables is a good place to start. She said: “There is more interest in starting to grow at home. We are getting more inquiries from members, accessing our gardening advice service, about vegetable growing. “It’s a great thing to do with everyone at home, perhaps more time on our hands and the difficulty of getting to the shops.” The RHS offers lots more advice on its https:// www.rhs.org.uk/advice/ beginners-guide/vegetablebasics website. RHS Director of Science Alistair Griffiths added: “There is an ever-increasing body of scientific evidence showing that a regular dose of gardening can improve both your mental and physical wellbeing. “Studies now provide robust evidence for the positive physical and mental effects of gardening on health. “In fact, there are very few - if any - other activities that can achieve all of the things that gardening can, in particular the measurable impact on active lifestyles and mental wellbeing, such as reductions in depression, anxiety and body mass index, as well as increases in life satisfaction and quality of life.” Here are some grow your own tips from RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter ...
Vegetables How to:
Vegetables are easy to grow once they have germinated or been planted
Situation Find the right place:
A sunny site is ideal - only a few crops will produce much in shade.
Shade lovers
Shade tolerant: Crops include beetroot, chard, peas, runner beans, spinach and salads.
Soil Soil is ideal:
Soil is free and needs little looking after. However if the plot in question doesn’t even support weeds it might be unsuitable.
Going potty
Grow bags or containers: Filled with potting compost will give good crops where soil is not an option, but they will need more attention.
Clear way Weeding:
Clear an area of weeds: Digging is the simplest way to do this but, in many cases, no-digging is preferred. After weeds are removed, no further cultivation is needed with a light mulch of organic matter such as garden compost suppressing weeds.
Compost Feeding growth:
Ideally add garden compost or rotted manure (not carrots or parsnips) and fertiliser to
improve the soil.
Seeds Tastes to suit:
Sow seeds of whatever you like to eat. Crops that taste best freshly gathered are many people’s favourites salads, tomatoes, new potatoes, chard and other leaf beets for example. Broccoli and cabbage family plants suffer from pests and diseases and are best left to farmers.
Cost Seeds expense:
Some seeds are expensive, especially hybrids. Bargain
seeds of vegetables widely offered in supermarkets for example must meet the same legal standards as expensive ones and give a very acceptable crop
Cultivating Loving care:
Seeds need warmth, moisture, light and air most easily provided by sowing in pots of multipurpose potting media, covering very lightly with sieved compost and watering ideally from below by standing pots in a shallow dish of water.
Outdoors Best plants:
Sowing outdoors is best for peas and beans as many plants are needed for a decent serving (runner beans are the exception). Carrots and parsnips must be sown (and covered with fleece or insect proof mesh to fend off carrot fly) where they are to grow for usable roots.
Sowing Technical bit:
Rake moist, but not soggy, soil into a finely divided state, make shallow grooves (drills) with the corner of your rake deep enough for the seeds to be covered when the soil is gently raked back to fill the drill. This is typically 1015mm. Water dry soil the day before sowing to allow water to drain.
Spacing Create room:
Leave a finger width between small seeds and two fingers between peas and a hands width between broad beans.
Thin out Don’t crowd plants:
Thin to final spacings (see packet) when seedlings big enough to handle perhaps transplanting some to fill in gaps. Crowded plants crop poorly.
Harvest On your way:
Congratulations you are on your way to your first harvest. Water heavily every 14 days if drought strikes. And keep weeds down. Pests and diseases should not cause too much damage.
RHS Campaign for School Gardening has also posted ideas for families to try at home - visit https:// schoolgardening.rhs.org. uk/News/News-results/ National/2020/March/ Bringing-the-sunshine-inside site.
The RHS closed all its gardens last month in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, RHS Garden Rosemoor and RHS Harlow Carr, including shops and cafes, closed with immediate effect until further notice. The society is still running its online plant shop rhsplants. co.uk and continues to offer a wide selection of edible and ornamental plants. RHS advisors are working from home, continuing to answer all RHS member gardening questions. The Garden magazine will also continue to be published. A spokesman for the organisation said: “As so many of us will be spending more time at home gardening, we hope these valuable services will be of benefit to our members. “We will also be sharing pictures and films of our gardens online and on social media so that everyone can stay connected and enjoy the beauty of nature and our gardens from afar. “A reduced level of staff from our horticulture teams will continue to look after our living collections of world class plants within our gardens,” they added.