At this time of year we need to be particularly attentive to plants, especially those in pots, baskets and growing bags. If compost is allowed to dry out plants soon suffer, and then the damage is done.
What a glorious Sunday in the garden yesterday, and driving my daughter to school at 7.30 this morning the temperature was already 23°C and rising. It probably didn't fall much below that all night, and though a bit restless for me the greenhouse crops are loving it.
Despite opening-up every vent in the greenhouse early, jamming the double doors wide open and damping down the floor with a hose, the temperature inside had already 31°C by 10am.
At this time of year we need to be particularly attentive to plants, especially those in pots, baskets and growing bags. If compost is allowed to dry out plants soon suffer, and then the damage is done.
Working gardeners away from home all day need to adopt growing plans that take the strain out of watering plants. To start with, try and rationalise the number of plants growing in pots and baskets, and if you do always use the largest pots you can. Small pots hold less compost, and less moisture, so bigger is always better. Terracotta pots can be lined with plastic, using old compost bags to reduce moisture loss through the sides of the pots, and moisture retaining gel mixed into the compost at planting time to provide addition storage reserves.
My greenhouse more or less looks after itself. Tomatoes and cucumbers are growing in pots supplied with regular water from automatic watering systems. These are fed from tanks topped up once a week at the most with a solution containing nutrients.
Self-watering capillary matting trays cover the staging, lined with pots of chillies, aubergines, peppers, begonias and more. These deep trays hold a large reservoir of water – easily enough for a week or more. So, other than opening the greenhouse each morning before work and closing vents at night, I don’t need to lift a finger. Automatic watering systems take the strain, leaving the busy gardener with time to tie in leading stems, pinch out side shoots and check for pests, and not lug endless watering cans into the greenhouse.
I haven't checked the weather forecast to see what's in store for later in the week, but with Wimbledon in full swing surely we can expect rain!
But if rain doesn't arrive it really is done to the gardener to make up for the shortfall. A friend of mine took on an allotment this year, but the site has no water at all! That really is a challenge. So, how do you cope when the heat is on?
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