TipsCourtesy of the RHS, here are a few things that we should be getting on with this month. There is always something to be done in the garden!

Fruit

  • Check tree ties as tree trunk girth increases.
  • Water cranberries, lingonberries and blueberries regularly with rainwater. Tap water will do when butts run dry.
  • Complete summer pruning of gooseberries and red/white currants.
  • Pollinate female indoor melon flowers, then pinch out 2cm (0.75in) beyond the flower.
  • Pinch out the growing point of outdoor melons twice, at four-week intervals.
  • Water and feed outdoor melons regularly once established.
  • Pull off suckers appearing around the base of fruit trees.
  • Make sure fruit isn’t drought stressed, especially those in containers, against a wall or newly planted.
  • Give regular liquid feeds to plants growing in containers.
  • Protect heavily-laden fruit tree and bush branches against snapping under the weight. Use a stake or prop to keep them upright.

Vegetables

  • Ensure all vegetables get a regular, consistent supply of water. This will aid healthy development, and help to avoid diseases, disorders and bolting.
  • Continue to hoe off weeds in dry weather. Done in wet weather, the weeds are liable to re-root.
  • Don’t forget to stop cordon tomatoes by removing the main shoot. Look for the leaf that’s above the fourth truss (set of developing fruit) and cut it off here. This should ensure that all the fruits ripen by the end of the season. Bush tomatoes can be left to their own devices.
  • Climbing beans may also need stopping, to maximise cropping on existing sideshoots. Stop them when they reach the tops of their supports.
  • Beans need sufficient watering to help the seed pods set.
  • Check climbing vegetables are securely tied to supports.
  • Earth up non self-blanching celery cultivars (with a protective collar of paper between the stems and the soil).

Flowers & Shrubs

  • Check clematis for signs of clematis wilt
  • Care for houseplants while on holiday
  • Water tubs and new plants if dry, but be water-wise
  • Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials, to ensure continuous flowering
  • Treat apple scab
  • Clear algae, blanket weeds and debris from ponds, and keep them topped up
  • Order catalogues for next year’s spring-flowering bulbs
  • Give the lawn a quick-acting summer feed, especially if not given a spring feed
By Growing Tips