No rest from the pests

Downpours, blackbirds and marauding mice – nature is out to sabotage all your hard work so it’s not time to down tools just yet

Gardening activities are very much determined by the weather and after that long, dry and warm spring, the heatwave which swept south of the border did much to help our Scottish climate hit its own seasonal highs. It made for a very enjoyable fortnight and just as we were getting ready to complain about the drought, the heavens opened up and the honeymoon period was over.

June and early July have been somewhat damp, to put it mildly. Down at ground level, crops and weeds have had a field day with anything green climbing rapidly towards heaven.

While this is brilliant for cabbages, kale, lettuce, courgettes and turnips, other crops have taken a different view as the continual damp weather has taken its toll.

Gardening jobs at this time of year may be numerous but hopefully not too demanding. If you’ve kept on top of the tasks over the year this should be your time to relax in the sun, occasionally getting up to dead head a geranium or a spent rose.

Sadly, gardening – and lounging – opportunities have been few and far between recently as we’ve been dodging the rainy spells to catch up with lots of those little but essential chores.

Slugs thrive in moist undergrowth and the strawberries, impatiens and French marigolds have been coming under severe attack so pellets were essential.

Then mice invaded the strawberry patch. These ones managed to spring the mouse traps, gobble up my best cheese, then tuck into a few more strawberries for pudding before heading home. My strawberry Colossus is proving to be a hit with our crafty intruders but I wish they would leave one for me to sample. The strawberry patch is well netted so there’s no bird problem at least but now I need to put nets on my saskatoons and redcurrants to keep the blackbirds away.

Nets were also necessary on a recent planting of cabbages and cauliflower for autumn harvesting. I had just got them into the ground when the rains came so I made a mental note to net them the next day, hoping the sun would be shining. However, the pigeons made an early morning start on my fresh young green leaves before I could get to them. I think they will survive and grow now the nets are in place but it’s a lesson to remember for the future.

I am keeping an eye on my gooseberry bushes, which are absolutely laden

This should be your time to relax in the sun, occasionally getting up to dead head a geranium or a spent rose

down with a heavy crop of berries, as in previous years they have attracted the attention of our allotment’s resident fox.

The cherry Cherokee also had to be netted, otherwise our blackbird family would have taken the lot.

Weeds just love the wet weather and have to be picked off as there is not enough sun to shrivel them up after hoeing. They germinate and grow very fast just now.

White rot on onions and root rot on raspberries are becoming a menace. Root rot on raspberries is spread by soil moisture and infected earth can easily be transported on boots, in compost and tools. Remove any infection as soon as it is found. Clubroot on a row of rocket salad leaves virtually wiped them out as it spread easily in the moist soil.

Summer harvesting is well under way for many crops, including peas, lettuce, rocket, spring onions, turnip and the first early potatoes.

Sowings of turnips, parsnips, beetroot and salads for late summer use will now be germinated so thin them out to give seedlings room to grow. I usually thin twice, initially to a couple of inches apart, then later select the strongest and thin out the rest.

Chrysanthemums grown for cut flowers need support as they will grow about 4ft tall, depending on the variety. The decorative, incurve and reflex types grown for single large heads will also need disbudding. Once the top flower bud is obvious, remove all other buds and sideshoots from each main stem so the plant can put all its energy into developing a large head. Extra feeding helps to increase flower size and maintain a healthy vigorous plant. Always disbud from the top down in case of any accidents.

Pictures: John Stoa. Clockwise from main image: an onion infected with white rot; early flowering chrysanthemums; a few early Casa Blanca potatoes for the pot; and the cherry Cherokee ripening safely under nets.