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Thompson & Morgan: Andrew Tokely's Weekly Gardening Blog

picture of andrew tokely

What a week! Rain at the start, delaying some important jobs, plus this week I have been on my travels to the Gardeners’ World Live Show and then to Holland to look for new plants. So, weather permitting, a weekend in the garden is just the relaxation I need.

Last Saturday I managed to plant up my father's garden with 800 bedding plants, and I also planted a few tubs at home. Unfortunately Sunday was a washout, so I will have to finish bedding out my front garden this weekend. At least all the back garden is completed and appears to be thriving after the rain showers throughout this week. I must keep on top of applying some slug control otherwise they will enjoy a tasty meal, rather than me enjoying a nice display this summer.

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Sowing Swiss Chard Seed

Now is the ideal time to sow another decorative vegetable like the Swiss Chard for a late crop of succulent leaves. These can be grown in borders, on the vegetable plot or in large containers, where their brightly coloured stems will make an attractive feature late in the season. Sowings can be made direct outside or into modules for planting out into containers or gaps on the plot.

If you are looking for some late summer colour in your borders, try planting some Anemone de Caen tubers. These are quite small and often dry and shrivelled when purchased, so I like to soak them overnight in water before planting. Plant them in a sunny border 2.5-5cm (1-2in) deep and 10-15cm (4-6in) apart. These plants take a long time to appear through the soil, so I always make sure I label them well, to remember where I planted them.

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Andrew's Son Weeding the Plot

After the recent rain and some welcome sunshine, the borders and the vegetable plot now have many small weed seedlings starting to appear. Before they get too big and take over, I will be taking advantage of any dry weather this week to hoe carefully between the plants. Luckily my son likes helping me, so we will soon have the plot looking tidy once more.

This weekend I will be sowing a few of the perennial herbs such as Thyme, Hyssop and Lemon Balm. Sown now, I will have plants large enough for planting out in September. These will then happily over-winter outside and supply me with some fresh new leaves early next year.

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Blackcurrant Ebony

This year the soft fruit harvest looks like it is going to be very good, Strawberries are fruiting like mad and judging by the fruit hanging on the stems of Blackcurrant Ebony on a neighbouring plot, there will be plenty to eat fresh or to make into jams. When growing soft fruit it is important to keep up with picking to ensure none of this delicious fruit is wasted.

The Iris I have in the new garden has been flowering really well this year, but has now sadly finished so needs tidying up. These will have the flower stems cut down to the base of the leaves. As with many early flowering perennials, this early dead-heading will occasionally encourage further flowers to form in the autumn for a late display.

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Parsnip Seedling in June

Finally this week, my parsnip seedlings are growing well this year after being thinned a couple of weeks ago. I think I will also be pulling carrots to eat within the next few weeks, so this weekend I am going to make a further sowing of carrots, radish and beetroot for harvesting in the late autumn.

Listen to Andrew on BBC Radio Suffolk on Saturdays between 8.00 and 9.00am.