GUIDE TO GARDENING ~ JUNE

SELECTION OF VEG AND FLOWER PLANTS PLUS BUNCHES OF FLOWERS  AT THE HUT AS AND WHEN AVAILABLE

Hoe weekly to keep weeds at bay or apply Weedol or Bio Glyphosate. Scatter slug pellets selectively. Rake in 4oz sq. yd. Growmore or Chicken Pellets prior to sowing or planting. Kill weeds on paths and drives. Top-dress containers with grit. Feed weekly with Maxicrop  or Phostrogen. Stock up with lump wood charcoal for those impromptu barbecues.

Please make an effort to save water by watering plants thoroughly with an open ended watering can; do not waste time and water by indiscriminate spraying by using a rose once seedlings have emerged. Seed potatoes will not need watering until July at the earliest.

THE VEG PLOT: - Plant cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, sweet corn, leeks and celery. Sow or plant runner beans to grow up 8' canes set in two rows 2 ½  to 3 feet apart, cross canes as low as 3 feet from the ground to allow the maximum number of beans to hang outwards and grow straight for easy picking and for the show bench. Tie in other canes at 45^o and through the cross over point to strengthen the structure. Sow salad crops; french beans, carrots and swede. Plant marrows, courgettes and tomatoes. Earth up potatoes. Harvest asparagus, new potatoes, carrots, peas and broad beans along with Japanese onions. Thin seeds sown in May.

FRUIT: - Protect fruit trees against codling moth and plum moth. Check for greenfly and spray with appropriate product. On soft fruit apply Py powder ten days after flowering to protect against raspberry beetle and red spider mites. Protect fruit and plants from bird attacks with suitable netting.

GREENHOUSE: - Ventilate, provide shade and maintain humidity. Water daily. Take softwood and semi-ripe cuttings using rooting powder. Insert into sandy compost (incorporating potting grit or John Innes seed compost) in appropriate pots. Sow hardy perennials. Full size rigid trays and gravel trays plus half size flexis are available from 'The Hut'. Support plants with 2' green canes. Control insect pests with Bug Gun. Plant tomatos, cucumbers, peppers and aubergines in 10 or 14ltr pots using Multi-purpose or peat-free compost. Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed. Pinch out all but four side shoots on melon plants and stop these when they reach the corners of the cold frame or the top of netting or tumble off a shelf or bench. Hand pollinate when each shoot has a female flower. Keep the main stem dry.

FLOWERS: - Plant out half-hardy annuals. Tie in sweet peas to grow up 6' canes. Cut back flowered heathers and mulch. Plant containers with summer bedding using Multi-purpose compost, peat-free compost or John Innes compost incorporating slow release granular fertilizer. Stake tall herbaceous plants using 4' canes (using cane caps to protect eyes) and pea and bean netting. Mulch borders.

LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply a feed - liquid or granular. Weed, Feed and Moss Killer or Weedol (Verdone) Lawn weed killer are all available from 'The Hut' to control weeds and moss.

All horticultural products are available to our members from a range of quality suppliers and are provided to meet basic gardening needs. Please note that you need to be a member (£5 pa) to purchase items from The Hut.

ALLOTMENT NEWS

CULTIVATOR HIRE

A cultivator is available for hire for on-site use only. The fee is £10 for the first two hours. Hire time runs from handover and ceases when the machine is returned to the machinery shed. Please give Martin Leech advance notice to hire this equipment. For any matters relating to the site please contact Martin on site.manager@capelallotments.co.uk.

POND AND WILDLIFE AREA

The Purple Allium are looking stunning at the moment. The bank is covered with Pink Campion and the rough prickly leaves of Teazles. Some Shrubs are in flower. There is an established stock of Newts in the deeper water and a myriad of pond skaters, numerous diving beetles, water snails and dragon fly larvae.  Please make sure children are supervised if visiting the area.

TWO DAY OPENING 

THE HUT is open 10 -12 noon on both Saturdays and Sundays throughout June.

JOIN’N’SAVE

Membership is just £5 a year and is open to both plot holders and non-plot holders alike, wherever you live. A visit to ‘THE HUT’ should easily recoup this investment when you take advantage of our special bulk buy prices.

SHEDS

If you are thinking of erecting a shed on your plot there are a few regulations that need to be followed. The shed must be of appropriate construction, no larger than 6’ x 4’ x 8’ high, gable ended with the ridge running East West, be in the corner of the full plot, be adjacent to the central footpath (plots behind the Polytunnel, on the east end) and the door must open onto your plot so as not to inconvenience others. All sheds must be securely anchored to the ground by metal or wooden posts and painted brown. The site manager must be contacted before construction commences or alterations to an existing shed take place.