Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks
We are now getting well through Summer and have had to put up with some challenges, hot and dry weather especially, which has effected how the garden has responded.
In the vegetable garden regular deep watering has given me abundant crops of high quality produce but I have needed extra fertilisers to compensate for nutrient loss caused by the higher watering.
Fruit trees have not been as troubled by fungus diseases so far but as the weather cools and we get morning dews this will change, so some preventative sprays will be needed (note the withholding period as you get near the harvest time).
I have also noted that there are more fungal infections in the lawns, especially where watering has been used to keep them green. You can spray or cut back on the water or wait until the cooler weather when the grass will recover. The Summer flowers have done really well with the fine weather and have put on some fabulous displays. Keep dead-heading the spent flowers and they will continue to give plenty of colour.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden
Harvest when the produce is at its best,this will help give a continuous supply.
Keep up the water and try to have the leaves dry by night time.
Remove the plants as soon as the crop has finished, this helps to rest the ground before replanting and also helps to stop pests and diseases to carry over.
Summer prune fruit trees to let in more light and to encourage next seasons fruiting(stone fruit should be pruned after fruit has been picked).
Get the sprays on the stone fruit trees after harvest to control leaf curl and brown rot infection next season.
Pick apples and pears as soon as they are ready but before they get over ripe so that they will keep better.
Get the winter crops planted as space allows to give the plants time to get established before the cooler weather arrives.
Remove the lower leaves on tomatoes to let in more light to help ripen the fruit.
Flower Garden & Lawns
Dead head and trim back annuals and perennials to keep them neat and flowering.
Water in the mornings so that plants are dry by night time.
Water and mulch shrubs so that they are not stressed by the hot dry weather.
Lawns can be given fertilisers,and sprayed for weeds, if they are growing and not too dry and stressed.
Spray rhododendrons and other shrubs for thrips which damage the leaves.