The Garden in June 2010

June is here and the garden is looking lovely. Most seed sown flowers are planted out just the Ammi majus and more Nicotania
tinkerbell are still in trays.

The roses are a mass of flowers in the rose garden, I will spray against blackspot again soon. The tits will deal with the aphids, as we have nests, one family has fledged successfully. The bearded irises are reaching the end now to be replaced by the beardless siberica irises.

Now we are getting the rain we needed so much all the plants will really take off and of course the grass will need cutting. The box hedges can be cut now it’s into June and wet so the leaves won’t scorch.

All the peppers are growing well and the tomatoes in and out of the greenhouse are getting really large with flowers on most plants. Now the tomatoes need the side
shoots pinching out every few days and the lower leaves removed. The sweet corn looks marvellous and I am looking forward to another good crop this year we are growing
an extra sweet type, which will be ready for early September called Sweet Nugget.
The squashes are waiting to be planted now the ground is moist, this year I am trying Butternut Waltham for the first time these are long and pear shaped and are said to develop more sweetness with storage. I am again growing Sweet Dumpling, which is cream
and green striped and only about 4 inches in diameter. Keep sowing salad leaves about every 14 days for a constant supply.

The herbs are all growing away outdoors
now. I have sown some more basil to keep a good supply,as it is liable to run to seed if it gets very hot.
Sow more coriander for the same reason,
sow it close together and don’t thin out
just cut as required.

We have started to pick our strawberries
daily, we have had to net them from the blackbirds, who also enjoy them. These
greedy birds get caught in the net from time
to time and have to be cut out, a very tricky task, as the bird gets very agitated. The currants are looking good now and we
will net these too before the fruit starts to colour.

The cherry blossom was beautiful a few
weeks ago, we have a large Prunus avium, which we share with the birds but the crop
has been decimated with the recent heavy
rain. Bigger cherries though!