Garden Calendar

Voles wreak great damage to vegetables in mid-summer, too. Entire plants die off if the roots are gnawed off. Voles can be identified by their tunnels. These tend to be relatively flat, just below the ground surface and the overlying soil is slightly broken upwards. In a densely planted vegetable garden, these tunnels are often not seen but the damage is very noticeable when the plants suddenly start to wither and die. A vole trap is an effective means of tackling voles.

A particularly convenient method of combating voles is to use granulated bait. Ask at your garden centre for a suitable product.

It is also necessary to water the vegetable garden thoroughly in dry periods. Here too, a good thorough soaking often helps more than giving little but often amounts of water. Mulching the soil also helps to prevent it drying out quickly. Compost mulch is particularly suitable for mulching. You can easily make your own compost mulch within a few weeks using a thermal compost bin.

It is still worthwhile sowing vegetables on harvested areas in the vegetable garden in August. Crops such as lettuce, spinach and lambs lettuce are suitable for this. Water with a Super Strength Seaweed Extract to give young plants an added boost after sowing. Super Strength Seaweed Extract is a brown seaweed extract that stimulates germination and rooting, thereby increasing yield.

Improve the yield of tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers with a summer feed using an Organic Multipurpose Plant Food by now at the latest. Water regularly using Organic Tomato Feed. 

Especially in dry weather, cucumbers are particularly susceptible to powdery mildew and should be regularly checked for any occurrence.

The best way to protect against powdery or downy mildew on cucumbers is to spray with a liquid concentrate against fungal diseases of vegetables. Ask at your garden centre for a suitable product.