Page 36 - The Local Eye - Issue 128 - June 2016

36

There is no beating the taste of truly fresh
fruit and veg especially, when it’s yours!
Gardening Tips for June
June, the fi rst real summer month and how lovely the garden lawn, fl owers and vegetables should be
looking. If you have a fi sh pond then do cover it to protect from recently fl edged young Heron. Do try to
make time to enjoy the views and perfumes.
If you fancy having a go at building some hanging baskets, now is the time to do it but do remember
that as they are subject to wind and warm on all sides daily watering and weekly feeding is essential to
maintain a wonderful display of Begonias, Geraniums, Trailing Ivy and Fuchsias.
Your fi rst picking of Strawberries will be ready, to keep them going a weekly feed of a soluble
Potassium rich fertilizer.
Always be on the lookout for predators on fruit trees, Apple, Pear,
Gooseberry and Plum fl owers are prone to Saw fl y laying their eggs. The
grubs look like caterpillars but are not. Use a Pyrethrum based concentrate
and spray, if not treated the worms will grow unnoticed inside the fruit
until you harvest them.
Have a go at growing your own herbs, you can do this in a designated area
of the garden, amongst borders or even in pots. It is a great way to obtain
the real fl avours rather than the dull tones of dried herbs. Although you
can preserve them yourself when you have an abundance. Try freezing
them fi rst in a bag, when you are ready to use them you just crush them whilst frozen and use directly in
your cooking.
Gardening Tips for July
Watering, weeding, feeding and looking forward to harvesting your various crops is the order of the day
in July, but watch out!
At this and many other times of the year it seems that every insect and pest is out to ruin your hard work
and destroy your crops and fl owers. Offering a Live & Let Live attitude is noble but often counter-
productive. Spraying can harm the good guys just as well as the bad so here is a rule of thumb that might
help you identify some of the gardeners’ enemies.
As a general rule on deciding whether a non-fl ying creature is a friend or foe is: ‘Does it move quickly?’
If so it is most likely a predator and therefore a friend. ‘If it moves slowly it is probably a plant eater and
probably not what you want to encourage. Hoverfl y, Lace wings, Ladybird adults and larvae eat their
way through thousands of aphids, mites and scaly insects. Thrushes eat copious amounts of snails so a
strategically placed stone for use as an anvil will help both you and the dwindling Thrush population.
Below are drawings of a Lace wing and the evolution of a Ladybird. There are many different colours of
Ladybirds, some are not so friendly but do not kill them as you may just be hurting one of your friends.
If you would like to visit North Bournemouth Allotments
Summer Show of Flowers and Produce mark your
calendar for Saturday 13th. August from late morning
until mid-afternoon. Take a look at our facebook page
(North Bournemouth Allotments)

North Bournemouth Allotment Society, Cornelia Road, BH10 4FG
www.northbournemouthallotmentsociety.co.uk
To advertise <> 08000 430485 <> email: info@thelocaleye.com <> www.thelocaleye.com

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