Deep Watering

Now the heats on, all the herbs, vegetables and young trees will be in need of extra water, so endeavour to deep water them.

Dig down about 15 - 20 cm and see how dry the soil is at that level. This is where most of the plants roots are and this is where the water needs to be.

The best way to deep water to the deeper depths is to keep the earth around the base of the plant loose and open so the water can penetrate down to the deeper roots and then give the plants one slow deep drink of water every few days rather than shallow sips every day.

Deep watering encourages the plants to send their roots furthar down and out to look for nutrients and water, creating quality healthier plants, instead of keeping the roots close to the surface which creates small vegetables that are prone to bolting to flower and seed.

The easiest way to water your plants long and slow is by setting up a drip irrigation system on a timer otherwise it's the time consuming method of walking around with the watering can and gently pouring, making sure the water soaks its way down to the deeper roots instead of splashing the surface and quickly evaporating.

Water early in the morning

The best time to water the garden in the summer is early in the morning, the plants will then be well prepared for the heat of the day to come. Watering early also preserves the water due to less evaporation, and limits leaf burn.

Its not so wise to water the garden between 10:00 and 17:00.  If the plants are looking thirsty, wait until the suns intensity has declined to give them a drink.

Dont let the weeds take over

Plants can’t grow well if they are being crowded out by weeds and invasive grasses.

Take 30 minutes each day to pull out the weeds, after a few days the garden should be looking great with fewer or no weeds left, at which point it's so much easier to keep up with any new weed invasions.

Prepare and Plant the Autumn Generation

There's still plenty of time for a second vegetable generation (the second spring).

Here are the favourites to plant up in July, that actually get even more tasty after after a nip of frost;

10-12 weeks before first frost: Broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery.

8-10 weeks before first frost:  Chinese cabbage, lettuce, spinach, turnips, parsnips

6-8 weeks before first frost: Beets, radishes

• Cut lavender flowers with a long stem and hang them up in a dry airy room away from sunlight.  The fresh opened flowers contain finer clearer aromas than older flowers.

• Remove the old rose flowers for another show in the coming weeks.

• Try to water tomato plants every day daily to prevent drying out, when the plants dry out the fruits become split and loose their quality.

• Train the stems of the climbing vines around supports, or cut them back if they become invasive such as hops and ivy.

• Keep the bird baths, ponds and water features topped up during the warmer weather.

• Take the house plants outside for the summer and leave them in a warm, sheltered area to enjoy the summer air and extra light.

• Give an organic tomato feed to fruiting vegetable crops such as tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins and peppers.

• Introduce more herbs in pots such as basilikum and oregano for an aromatic herb filled Autumn.

• Sit back with a book, relax and enjoy the beautiful summer garden.