American Blight:

Strawberry Plants.

If it is your intended to work up a stock of Strawberry plants for forcing purpose, it is not too early to start layering the runners. To receive the layers, fill small pots with good soil and arrange them in colonies around the selected plants. Do not layer more than three runners from any one plant, to encourage quick rooting, also do not forget to water them from time to time.

We can assume risk of frost has passed, and so you  can plant out tender vegetables like courgettes , squash and sweet corn.

Keep looking after your Tomatoes. Now is the  time to plant tomatoes outside if you have not done that already.To get them ready to maximise their fruit you must pinch out  new side shoots to help direct the plants energy into fruit growing on the main stem and  do tie up your plants onto canes as your plants will grow to about six foot and can get very heavy with fruit.

American Blight:

American Blight, know as Woolly Aphis, because of it’s snowy covering—- is easily distinguished on young fruit trees this time of year, and if a little patience is exercised many of the pest can be got rid of. By just lightly painting them with a brush that has been dipped in methylated spirits, their demise can be brought about.

It is  time to earth up your main crop potatoes. Before doing this, reduce the soil to a fine tilth by hoeing. A light dressing may also be given on poor soil. I use dried chicken manure fo this job. 

  This is the time of Year when ants might beginning to become a pest. Here are some old man ideas of how to get rid of them:

Lime-water poured freely into the nests and burrows will cause them to move house if it does not kill them outright.

The most effectual remedy is to mix arsenic into a solution of sugar and water, which they will devour greedily, but care must be taken 

that no other animal gets to it. Cover the saucer with a slate, and a stone on the top of it, having a couple of pegs between the saucer and slate, to let the ants in freely.

Boiling water poured on the nests, is another remedy; if the nest be in a pot amongst the roots of a plant, the best way is to immerse the pot and plant in water for five or six hours, in which time the ants will be drowned, and their eggs destroyed. 

Another effect way is, to pour over the nest at night, a strong decoction of elder leaves. 

To trap them, smear the inside of a garden pot with 

honey, invert it over the nest, they will get stuck in the honey and if you use a big enough pot you may well get the whole nest trapped.

Peaches and Nectarines:

Peaches and Nectarines: 

Twenty-fourth week: June

Peaches and Nectarines growing on outside walls will at this time of the year require constant attention. There will be a certain amount of disbudding practised, and it is very important to keep the young growths neatly tied in. Evening spraying with clear water after hot days will keep red spider away.

Make successional of Lettuce and sowing Endive to give you autumn salads.

Tomatoes growing in the open or inside must be restricted to one stem by the constant removal of side shoots.

Runner Beans:

Runner Beans:

Those who followed the advice to make a sowing of Runner Beans under cover may now safely place the resultant seedlings in permanent position now. Choose a deeply dug and well manured site, and protect the plants by staking them immediately. Also make another sowing of Runner Beans to provide later pods.

Hoe your rows  regularly to keep down weeds.  

Pinch out side-shoots on tomatoes. When ever they appear.

New Zealand Spinach

New Zealand Spinach

Twenty third week: June.

New Zealand Spinach is exceptionally useful on light soils where the normal summer type is so prone to run to seed. If you have raised , they may now be planted out at two feet apart each way. The reason for this is that the plant has a trailing habit. Seeds may also be sown in the open now.

Gooseberry bushes are often affected with caterpillars at this time of year, and if the pest are allowed to remain undisturbed, defoliation of the attacked bushes will speedily result. Forceful spraying wit clear water in the early morning will dislodge the pest, and the ground beneath the bushes may then be dusted with lime and old soot.

If it is necessary to thin Onions, do the work very carefully, with a view to avoiding undue disturbance of the seedlings. There is no doubt that carless thinning brings about an attack of Onion-fly. After thinning it is a good idea to run the hoe through the rows.

Indoor Strawberries

Indoor Strawberries

Twenty-Second Week : May June.

Now is the time to bring your strawberry plants that have fruited in pot in your glasshouse, outside.

Melon plants in bloom will require some assistance in the important matter of pollination. You can do this by selecting male flowers, stripping them of petals, and then thrusting the exposed stigmas into the centres of the female flowers. Do this at noon on a sunny day.

If you have a pond, you will find that as the weather gets warmer, algae will grow on the surface. Keep this clear by sieving out. Also remove decaying leaves from water lilies. 

Asparagus Beds

Asparagus Beds

Twenty-Second Week : May June

The Asparagus bed should be free from weeds at all times, and a light dressing of feed would increase harvest. 

Go and hoe your beds because this promotes growth as well as keeping the weeds away.

If you have Tomatoes for growing out doors, now is the time to bring them out of the glasshouse to harden them off.

Vines under glass:

Vines under glass:

Vines growing under glass will require constant attention at this time of year. Tie the shoots down to the supporting wire. When the bunch of Grapes appear, pinch out the point of the shoot carrying it at about two leaves beyond the bunch 

Sow beets, carrots, lettuce, and radishes 

Plant herbs like as thyme, sage, parsley, chives and basil 

Transplants plants can become less stressed if you put them out on a cloudy, calm day. Unfortunately,  many gardeners may need to transplant  only when they have the time, regardless of the weather. Strong sun and wind can be hard on new transplants, so to over come this, set out plants in the late afternoon when the wind comes down and the plants have overnight to acclimate. Giving shade and wind protection with berry baskets, small crates, or screens will help. Mulching helps since it lowers the rate at which water evaporates from the soil and controls the soil temperature.