Savvy summer gardening
Well-mulched leeks, celeriac and cucumbers
With 2017 the hottest year since record-keeping began, and 2018 so far looking like it wants to top that record, what can a gardener do to beat the heat?
Smart water application and conservation have to be a first priority. Top tips are:
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water only at the beginning or end of the day – before the sun gets up or after it goes down – to prevent loss of water through evaporation;
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mulch the soil well (with straw or grass clippings for veges) but not too thickly or rain will not get through – and make sure when watering with a hose that the water goes under the mulch;
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water the plants, not the air – hand-held hoses or drip-lines are much better than sprinklers both for delivering water where it is needed and for not wasting any;
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keep building up the humus content of the soil with compost plus animal and green manures, as humus retains water.
Other things that I do to save my plants from scorching and shrivelling include:
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planting seedlings in the evening, so that they have a cooler start in their new home;
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planting vege seeds under a mulch or cover to prevent scorching of the emerging plants;
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planting leafy greens in the shadier parts of the garden, as they are ones that suffer from the sun beating down on their heads the most.
Sweet corn can be good for providing shade, while pumpkin plants provide a living ‘shade cloth’.
Wow, your post have going for eight years. How time flies, We have a lot of grass (one acre) and it is so good on our clay soil. We cut it and leave for a day and collect up and this avoids the smelly slime. our soil is full of big fat worms.