 |
|
|
 |
 
 |
|
|
|
Tomatoes
Traditionally you need a greenhouse to grow a great crop of tomatoes, but as global warming provides more summer heat you can get a tasty crop if you plant in growing bags on a sunny patio.
Either way you need to plant a variety that satisfies the taste buds of your family. For mine they like Alicante for a red, slicing fruit; Gardeners Delight for cherry red salad variety and Sun Gold for an orange coloured, but very sweet alternative.
Whatever variety you choose, invest in the best growing bag you can afford. Levington's Original Gro Bag takes some beating, as most amateur tomato growers will agree. But this year the same company has come up with an even bigger and better planter that promises even better results. It's called the Levington Tomorite Giant Planter and contains twice as much compost as a normal growing bag. As a result it holds more water, encourages a bigger root system and promises to grow a bigger and better crop. Best of all it doesn't dry out quite as quickly as a normal growing bag. So the days when you water your growing bag in the morning and it's dry by the time you get home from work are numbered. And that's not only a benefit for you, it also means your tomatoes aren't subject to yo-yoing between swamp and dessert which can so often encourage the fruits to develop a nasty brown discolouration called Blossom End Rot that makes them inedible.
These Tomorite Giant Planters may not be the cheapest on the market - they will cost you around £3.99 - but they do contain twice as much compost and promise some spectacular results. If you are a lapsed tomato grower why not give them another chance. You may be surprised at your success.
Timely tips
Established tomatoes growing in the greenhouse will need to be fed every 10 days with Tomorite once the first truss of fruit has set.
Fruit and vegetables
Sow dwarf French beans outdoors during May. If you have no special area for vegetables, then find room to sow between your flowers or use a large decorative pot filled with Miracle-Gro All Purpose Growing Compost. Runner beans are more delicate and need to be sown individually in pots of Levington Seed &Cutting Compost and kept under cover or indoors on the window sill so that they make sturdy plants ready for planting in the garden at the beginning of June.
If you have the time, prepare the planting area of your wigwam or straight trench for your runner beans. Take out a spade's depth of soil where the plants are to grow either in a circle or straight line and dig in plenty of organic matter into the bottom of this trench. All organic matter is good. Use up any well-rotted garden compost, or buy fresh bags of Levington Farmyard Manure or Levington Organic Choice Soil Conditioner. Burying the organic matter around 30 cm (1ft) down will encourage a good deep root system that will hold water and nutrients.
Other crops to sow now include carrots and leeks for a bumper crop - Early Nantes is a tasty carrot variety that is reliable. Before you sow anything, make sure you kill all existing weeds or they will rob the seedlings of light, moisture, nutrients and the space in which to grow. The quick and soil-safe way to clear the seed bed is to wet the area with Weedol 2 or the ready-to-use Weedol Gun! Just ten minutes on the weed leaf is all it needs, even if there is a rain shower just after then.
Timely tips
Cabbages, fruit and flowers can be attacked by caterpillars at this time of the year. If you see them spray immediately with an insecticide suitable for the plant you have in mind. For most this will be BugClear or BugClear Gun!
|
|
|
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
BugClear ™ and BugClear Gun!™ contain bifenthrin. EverGreen® Complete contains MCPA, mecoprop-P and ferrous sulphate. Pathclear® Ultra contains glyphosate, oxidiazon and diflufenican. Pathclear Gun!™ contains glyphosate and diuron. Roseclear Gun!™ contains bifenthrin and flutriafol. SlugClear™ Advanced Pellets and SlugClear™ contain metaldehyde. Weedol® 2 and Weedol Gun!™ contain diquat
® , ™ , Miracle-Gro, Tomorite and Levington are Trade Marks of The Scotts Company or its affiliates. Roundup is the registered Trade mark of Monsanto Company. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
