I find it best to water as early in the day as possible – this not only helps prevent plants from getting scorched if water gets on the leaves, it also prevents them from sitting in wet compost during the colder night-time hours.
Then, as greenhouse crops ripen, I like to increase the feeding to twice a week to help encourage the best fruit I can get from the plants. Personally, I use either homemade comfrey feed or a good organic tomato or seaweed feed. After watering the plants, I always damp down the paving slabs in the greenhouse as well; this causes a little more humidity and helps to prevent red spider mites as they like it dry. While there, it’s best to remove yellowing leaves from any plant and those that are shading fruit. By allowing the sun to get to the fruit it will ripen better and ultimately taste better too.
NEW BASIL FOR OLD
The basil plants which I grow with my tomatoes are constantly harvested through the summer. However, I like to create new plants which can replace the ones growing when they start to flower. Simply snip a 15cm (6in) stem from the plant, strip the bottom half of leaves and put it in a glass of water out of direct sun. Within a few weeks, there will be roots and the cutting can then be potted up and grown on to give a later crop of leaves without having to start plants from seed.
CHRISTMAS CROPPERS
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2022 de Kitchen Garden.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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EASY DOES IT!
As the growing season gathers pace there's one thing often in short supply: time! Ever feel like you're chasing your tail? Benedict Vanheems offers some tips to save valuable time and effort
A NEW Kitchen garden!
It's time for sowing and planting in the new garden and while Martin is busy with that, Jill is making a tasty asparagus soup
OUR PLOTTER OF THE MONTH
Kitchen Garden readers rose to the challenge when we asked for pictures of their plots to appear in the magazine this year. It's time to meet another of our talented competition winners
MANAGING WEEDS, NATURALLY
Weeds are never far away but you can keep them at bay without recourse to weedkillers
Meet the apple doctor
KG editor Steve Ott chats to Glyn Smith, head gardener for the National Trust's Erddig estate in Wrexham, about his career and love of the garden he has tended for 38 years
A CORNUCOPIA OF COURGETTES
It's time to sow a first batch of tender crops such as courgettes for picking through the summer months. KG editor Steve Ott has some tips for a super harvest
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT CURRANTS
you If I want to plant some soft fruit that is easy to grow and will give you plenty of flavour, how about trying currants?
TRY AMARANTH! The dual-purpose veg
Garden Organic's research manager Anton Rosenfeld extols the virtues of amaranth and how to grow it
A SPACE APART
Instagrammer James Martin shares his love of gardening and how much it has helped him and his family both mentally and physically under very difficult circumstances
HITTING THE SWEET SPOT
Welcome to the wonderful world of sweetcorn as Rob Smith takes a look at both old and newer varieties, with some growing advice too