Here are a few ideas of what you could be doing in the garden this month
YouGarden’s Top Tip
Plant strawberries for a feast of summer berries!
Strawberries are the quintessential summer fruit and now is the time to plant them for a feast of mouth-watering, sweet, juicy berries that will be ready for picking in summer.
Your strawberry plants will grow quickly if planted in a sunny spot. The pretty white springs flowers will turn into heavy yields of fruit that will ripen to perfection. The taste of these homegrown berries will be far better than anything you can buy in the supermarkets.
There are lots of cracking strawberry varieties available; ‘Cambridge Favourite’ will produce huge crops and is often grown on picking your own farms. ‘Sweet Summer’ has large conical shaped fruits and as an ‘everbearer’, it will bear fruit over the summer months instead of all at once.
Growing strawberries at home couldn’t be easier! We have a detailed guide on how to ‘Grow Your Own’. But for a quick and easy overview, you just need to plant them 45cm apart. Use well-drained and fertile soil that’s been improved with shredded horse manure or garden compost. Alternatively, plant several in an EasyFill hanging basket or individually in 20cm pots filled with Premium Professional Compost.
Flowers, Trees & Shrubs
- Prune back seed heads or stems left on perennials for winter interest. Cutting as far back as possible, without damaging any emerging growth.
- Trim mophead and lacecap hydrangeas as the buds begin to swell. Remove the old flowerheads with a pair of secateurs, snipping back to the nearest pair of healthy-looking buds.
- Place supports around the emerging stems of perennials to prevent them flopping later in the season. Link stakes are ideal for large clumps, while wire mesh rings are great for multi-stemmed perennials, such as asters.
- Tie individual stems of delphinium, hollyhock, Verbascum and other tall-growing plants to stout canes with garden twine.
In The Kitchen Garden
- Spread a 3-inch layer of shredded horse manure around the cane, bush and tree fruits to give them a boost. Leave a gap between the stem and the manure.
- If you live in a mild part of the country or have a sheltered garden, you can sow seeds of beetroot, broad beans, peas and summer spinach in well-prepared soil.
- Enjoy a crop of summer blueberries by planting young bushes in large pots filled with ericaceous compost.
Don’t forget…
- Prevent vine weevil grubs from eating the roots of plants in containers with Provado Vine Weevil Killer 2 – the pesticide can be mixed with water and applied with a watering can.
- Spring clean greenhouses. Take out the contents, so you can sweep benches and floors. Tidy up pots and trays. Remove dead leaves and flowers from plants before putting them back.
- Prepare the ground for starting new lawns from seed. Rake the soil level, remove stones and broadcast seed. Rake gently into the surface. Water and cover with netting to protect from birds.
