Amesbury Town Council

Gardening Tip of the month from Doug Border 

December

Happy Christmas!  Sorry, due to technical difficulties, no tips were uploaded. 

November

November is the ideal time for transplanting shrubs.  Don't forget to water them in well.  Give your lawn a bit of TLC by spiking then scattering sharp sand over the surface.

Line your greenhouse with bubblewrap - this will help keep the temperature up through the winter.  Give the glass a good clean first to let in more light.

Don't forget to keep your bird feeders and bird tables clean to help prevent the spread of disease.  Always throw away old uneaten food, which can quickly go rotten at this time of year.

October

Now is the time to clear bedding plants from the borders.  Pull out the weeds and fork over the gaps before spreading compost or manure to put goodness into the soil over the winter.

To store onions, clean the bulbs then peel off the dry, dirty layers.  Store in a wooden crate or box in a cool dark place.  Do keep an eye out for signs of rot and take bulbs out of the crate as soon as possible. 

Pay some thought to wildlife when tidying your garden - allow some seedheads to remain to provide shelter and food; remove fallen leaves and debris from the pond; clear out nest boxes; create a leaf pile for insects and small mammals to shelter in.

September

Take a walk around your flower beds and collect seeds.  Keep them over winter in an envelope or paper bag in a cool, dry place, ready to sow in the spring.  Don't forget to write the name of the plant on the envelope/bag!

Green tomatoes can be encouraged to ripen by placing them in a paper bag with a banana/banana skin. 

Clear away old crops and add to the compost bin.  Don't add diseased plants to the compost bin - you risk spreading the disease around the garden.  The roots of peas and beans can be left in the ground - just chop off the tops at soil level.  Nitrogen from the roots will be released into the soil as the roots break down.

Clean out bird feeders and regularly fill them with seed and nuts.

August

Now is a good time to take cuttings of tender perennials - fuchsias, pelargoniums.

Cut off the top of outdoor tomato plants (single-stemmed cordons), cutting about two leaves above the uppermost truss.  If you allow further flowers to form, the fruits are unlikely to ripen outdoors so late into the season.

Don't forget to top up the water levels in your pond.  It is best to use rainwater, since tap water is high in phosphates and nitrates.

July

Check borders weekly for weeds and remove them - they will take up valuable water, much needed by your flowers/veg. 

Water and dead-head flowers regularly to lengthen the flowering period.

Open the doors, vents and windows in your greenhouse every day, and damp down the greenhouse floor each morning.

Feed the birds through the summer, and they will continue to visit your garden through the winter months.  Remember, once you start putting food out for the birds, they do come to rely on it.  At this time of year, birds will help to keep down the garden pests - caterpillars, snails, bugs.

June

Allow your spring bulbs (tulips, daffodils, etc) to die down naturally before you cut off the dry foliage.  If you soak the soil around the clumps with liquid feed while the leaves are still green, this will boost bulb growth.

Water your pots regularly - daily if the weather is very hot.  Feed pots six weeks after planting, and use a balanced liquid feed twice a week for the rest of the summer.  Dead head flowers regularly to encourage further flowering.

Leaving the greenhouse door open for ventilation enables birds to fly in.  Not only could they damage crops, but could also become trapped and die.  Fix a sheet of netting over the door like a curtain, which can be opened for access but closed firmly when you leave.

May

Now is the time to prune spring flowering shrubs.  Forsythia and flowering currant's flowered stems should be pruned to the base, shaping the shrubs as you go.  Next spring's flowers will be borne on shoots that grow this year, so pruning promotes lots of strong new growth.

Pot up hanging baskets and patio pots, but keep them sheltered until they become established.  Harden off tender plants before planting out later in May.  Put them outside in a warm spot during the day, but take in at night for a few weeks.

Moths will be attracted by night-scented plants such as evening primrose, sweet rocket, jasmine & honeyuckle.  National Moth Night takes place on 15th May 2010.  To find out more, visit www.mothscount.org

April

This is a good time to divide your perennials to keep plants healthy.  Lift the whole clump, remove younger portions and discard the older core.  Replant the young pieces into freshly prepared soil.  Larger pieces should flower this year, others may take a season to re-establish.

You can grow Nasturtiums or French/African Marigolds alongside your vegetables to deter aphids/white fly away from the crops.  Planting onions alongside carrots helps avoid attack by carrot fly.

It's best not to add pondlife to your pond (eg. frogspawn), but rather let it occur naturally.  This way, disease and non-native species are less likely to be introduced. 

March

It's time to revive your pond - cut down dead remains of marginal plants.  Scoop out dead leaves or debris with a net.  Wash out pond pumps and filters before plugging them in again.  Empty the sump in bubble fountains.  Check that electric cables and plugs are in good condition.  Scrub agae off pebbles and wash out all pipes. 

Cover rhubarb clumps with a bucket, large pot or forcing jar to produce tender young stems for early picking. 

Wash bird feeders regularly to reduce the chance of diseases spreading among wild birds.

February