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Thompson & Morgan: Andrew Tokely's Weekly Gardening Blog

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After the heavy rains earlier this week, there has been plenty of growth in the garden - you could almost see the difference overnight - plants had really grown and benefited from the rain. There are still plenty of jobs to do, but don't forget that Dad needs a rest on Sunday as it is Fathers' Day.

As it is the longest day this weekend, I will be lifting my shallots that were planted outside on the shortest day last year, and those that were planted under glass in pots during January this year. These are both now ready to harvest. I like to lift my bulbs and carefully lay them on a wire mesh in a dry airy place to finish ripening off, before cleaning them up ready to store or pickle.

cabbage-hispi'/

My Cabbage Hispi

Space that has been made from lifting the shallots will be quickly taken up by some winter greens such as Autumn cabbage, Autumn cauliflower and Sprouting Broccoli. These are in need of planting on the plot to give me delicious greens through the autumn into the winter months. At the moment I am cutting some Hispi cabbages that are sweet to eat.

The Hydrangeas I have growing in containers and in the garden are both looking a little on the pale side, with the leaves turning a yellowish green with darker veins, rather than the dark green that they should be, which is a sure sign they are in need of a good feed. I always feed mine with Sequestered Iron. Water this around the plants and you will be surprised how quickly this will green them up. If any of your other garden plants are also looking a bit pale, then this feed will quickly green them up as well.

potatoes-growing-well

Potatoes Growing Well on the Plot

My potatoes are growing well on the vegetable plot and some of the varieties are beginning to flower, which can be an indication, but not a guarantee, that there should be some potatoes forming and these may soon be big enough to eat. This weekend I may scrape around the sides of a couple of the plants and see what I can find before digging up a root.

The Delphiniums in my new garden have put on a lot of growth. Earlier in the year I gave these taller perennials some support, but this weekend I will add some individual canes to the taller stems to prevent any damage, in case the weather becomes windy and snaps them.

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Greenfly on My Roses

For some reason last Sunday there seemed to be a lot of fat, juicy greenfly in the air. Later in the week I was looking around my roses and spotted a cluster of greenfly sucking on the buds. Action had to be taken quickly, so these were sprayed with a suitable insecticide and eradicated before they could do too much harm. If you haven't looked at your plants lately, I suggest you give them a precautionary glance.

Last weekend I finished bedding out before we had the heavy downpours on Monday. As soon as the ground starts to dry out I will pull my little two-pronged cultivator through my bedding plants. This will loosen up the soil, get rid of any germinating weeds and let a little air into the soil around the plants. This also stops the ground from becoming compacted and will help the plants grow away and quickly get established.

peony-bloom

Peony Bloom

Finally this week, I have a wonderful display of Peony in my new garden. The bushes are robust and full of buds that are beginning to open. As these blooms are quite heavy I am going to give the plants a little support with some canes and string just so the plants are held up and I can see the beauty of the blooms as easily as possible, as they don't last long. Once they have finished blooming I will cut the dead flowers off, preventing them from running to seed, to ensure the display next year is just as impressive.

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