Amateur Gardening – 29 June 2019

29 JUNE 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 21

Next week: Be water-wise on the plot, grow

and eat daylilies, sow bulb fennel, pull wet garlic,

plant an edible hanging basket.

GREY water – what’s that? Well, it’s the

term applied to household water that

comes from your kitchen or bathroom

tap, along with any water from plumbed-

in appliances like washing machines and

dishwashers. You can use some of this

on your garden in times of drought and

water restrictions – and it could just save

your fruit and vegetable plot from

disaster should any hosepipe bans be

enforced this summer.

Dishwasher salts and strong washing-

machine cleaning agents are harmful to

plants, so focus instead on collecting

water from kitchen sinks, baths, showers,

dehumidifiers and tumble driers. Stick to

these key rules: use collected grey water

within 24 hours (bacteria can build up

otherwise), avoid using it directly on

GARDENERS can run on autopilot,

trudging off to the garden centre to buy

plastic bottles filled with artificial liquid

fertiliser. But did you know you can make

your own, for free? Nettles make an

organic nitrogen-based feed that is ideal

for leafy veg like brassicas, whereas

comfrey creates a higher potash brew

for tomatoes, peppers and fruit.

Simply ram a hessian sack with their

soft, sappy leaves, submerge this in a

trug filled with water, then leave well

alone for six weeks. You’ll return to a

rather odorous concoction, but once

the sack is removed and its contents

composted, things become more

pleasant. Homemade feeds vary in their

nutrient levels, so dilution rates provide

Brew nettle and comfrey feed

Using grey water on edibles

only a rough guide: 20 parts by volume

water to one part feed works well,

applying this weekly to your plants. AS half-hardy shrubs go, lemon

verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is pretty

captivating. But it’s not the lance-

shaped leaves or tufts of tiny pink

flowers that stop you in your tracks

when you walk by, but the deliciously

overpowering lemon scent.

This comes from the leaves as you

brush past (so site this plant on a

path’s edge so you can brush on a

daily basis) and is reminiscent of

lemonade ice-lollies, rather than

being acidic. Whether it is made into

a cocktail syrup, infused in caster

sugar or lining the bottom of a

Victoria sponge cake tin, this plant

will result in something delicious.

Grow it in a pot of John Innes No3

compost, placing it in full sun. Either

cloak in bubblewrap or move

somewhere frost-free for winter.

Melon plant pollination

1

If you’re growing your

melons in a sunny,

sheltered spot outside,

then pollination should

be taken care of by

visiting bees and

other insects.

2

If you’re growing

melons under glass,

you can leave the doors

and vents open so that

pollinating insects have

access. Remember to

close them on windy days!

3

A more thorough

option is to hand-

pollinate. Press open

male flowers into the

centre of open female

blooms (which have a

fruitlet behind them).

Step

by step Melon plants are monoecious, so they bear separate male and female

flowers on the same plant. Here’s how to keep on top of pollination...

Add grey water to the bases of fruit trees

and shrubby plants like this blueberry

Lemon

verbena

Brew nettle and comfrey feed

edibles eaten raw (like salads, but you

can add it to the base of fruit trees and

bushes), and rotate its use with rainwater

to avoid build up of fats and detergents.

Using grey water on edibles

Alamy

5 quick

jobs

1

Summer strawberries will be

throwing out lots of runners – peg

down those from healthy plants,

ready to dig up and transplant

elsewhere in autumn.

2

As hard as it is, it’s time to stop

cutting asparagus. This perennial

crop needs time to recover before

next year’s season, so let the ferns

grow from now on.

3

Glasshouse tomatoes will be

maturing in their dozens! Starting

from the bottom up, remove leaves

around ripening trusses to get

sunlight to the fruits.

4

Pots can dry out in a flash in summer.

Grouping containers of veg together

to shade their bases will ease the

pressure – but still check them daily.

5

Winter brassicas need planting out at

wide spacings – sow quick-cropping

radishes and salads in between them

to make the most of this room.

Washing-up water is

fi ne if you rotate its

use with rainwater

Making liquid feed is a great way to

grow your own plant fertiliser for free

Lemon verbena enjoys full sun

Why

not try..?

Comfrey is packed

with nitrogen, potassium

and phosphorus

Alamy Alamy

Inset: Alamy