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Vegetables
When the soil is warm enough to be growing weeds then it's time to sow all manner of vegetables outside. Vegetables that will be transplanted to their final growing positions such as summer cabbage, sprouts and leeks should be sown thinly in fine soil that has been improved with the compost from last year's hanging baskets or patio pots. If the soil in this seedbed is particularly wet then covering the area with cloches will help the surface to warm up, dry out and encourage good germination.
For plants that will be growing from seed to harvest in the same spot such as parsnips, beetroot, shallots, spring onions, carrots, lettuce and hardy peas then the soil needs to be enriched with plant food to lift the nutrient reserves to an adequate level. Dress the soil with Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Plant Food before sowing the seed.
Tread over the area that is to grow onions this year to compact the surface. Snip off the brown ends from the onion sets before placing them in shallow drills 1 cm deep. As birds delight in pulling out onion sets from the soil, cover them with netting at least for a couple of weeks until they have rooted into the soil and have a firm grip.
Timely Tips
Sow tomato seeds now so that you have strong seedlings to plant out in a cold greenhouse in April or on the patio in May.
Patio
Patio pots should be ablaze with the colours of daffodils, hyacinths and crocus. If yours are not then you can buy plenty of spring bulbs in bud to brighten up any container.
Potted camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons will be showing fat flower buds that are ready to burst open. To keep the glossy foliage a healthy dark green start feeding the compost now with Miracle-Gro Ericaceous Plant Food and add this to your watering can of rain water every couple of weeks. If you live in a hard water area don't water pots of lime hating plants with tap water or the leaves will soon turn yellow and fall. If you are lucky enough to have rhododendrons and azaleas thriving in your garden soil see that they receive their annual dose of Sequestrene to provide all the iron they need for a year's growth. Mix a sachet of the deep red powder in a watering can of rain water and apply around the roots of all your ericaceous plants.
Growing plants in pots rather than beds and borders has other advantages. In small gardens otherwise rampant trees and shrubs can easily be kept to a manageable size when grown in a container. It's a similar principle to growing bonsai - restrict and reduce root growth and the top stays in proportion. The other advantage of pot grown plants is that displays can be infinitely variable. Just move into prominent position the plants that look most attractive at the time and you can have a patio that is always a picture. If you want to try some more unusual pot grown subjects try the pineapple broom (Cytisus battandiera), blue spiraea (Caryopteris 'Heavenly Blue') or abelia.
Timely Tips
Weedy paths and patios are unsightly. But you can water away these weeds - not just kill existing ones but also stop new annual weed seedlings from growing for up to three months. For large areas of gravel paths or drives simply dissolve Pathclear Season Long granules in water in a watering can and apply to the whole area. For smaller areas use the ready-to-use Pathclear Gun! Season Long. It's so easy and quick to apply. If your patio is wooden decking with bare soil underneath, then spray Pathclear Gun! Season Long on the weeds and soil surface to keep the area under the decking clear of weeds and new seedlings. |
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ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
Ant Stop! Bait Station contains fipronil. Ant Stop! contains chlorpyrifos. BugClear and BugClear Gun! contain bifenthrin. FungusClear ™ and FungusClear Gun! contain penconazole. Levington® Container & Hanging Basket Compost with Vine Weevil Control contains imidacloprid. Nature's Answer® Natural Pest Control contains pyrethrins. Roseclear® 3 contains bifenthrin and myclobutanil. Roseclear Gun!® contains bifenthrin and flutriafol. Verdone® Extra and Verdone Extra Ready to Use contain fluroxypyr, clopyralid and MCPA.
® , ™ , Miracle-Gro, Tomorite and Levington are Trade Marks of The Scotts Company or its affiliates. Roundup is the registered Trade mark of Monsanto Company. |
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