Pat Duke Gardening: Perfect time for Lavender and tomatoes

In the Garden

Finally the summer rains have come and we can go to the water butt without trepidation Already the mosquitos have laid their eggs there and make me feel guilty when filling up the watering cans.
It also means that the weeds are back in business so a quick skimming over with the hoe is always in order in between the showers.
Whilst it’s pattering on the shed roof it’s an ideal time to take cuttings that are semi-ripe from some shrubs. Semi ripe means they are woody on the base but soft and moist further towards the leaf production area. In late summer root production hormones are high so they will root easier now than say December.
This type of propagation works well with shrubs we use for planting hedges and those that are around the £20 mark at the garden centre so its worth doing even if its just for the enjoyment of it.
Lavender is ideal and can make a beautiful hedge either side of a path or steps. It can need replacing every six years or so at it loses its energy levels like all of us over time.
Choose the healthiest shrub you can see and it will be easy to see new growth. Cut at the base of the new main stem and then strip the leaves apart from a few at the tip. This will help them retain moisture and more of the root enhancing chemicals. It’s really important they don’t dry out so have a pot of multi-purpose compost ready and immediately place your cuttings all around the edge but with space in between each one. If you cant do it directly then place the cuttings in a sealed plastic bag until you can pot them up. Ensure there is good contact between stems and the compost. Keep them moist and they’ll root within a fortnight and you ll have saved yourself a fortune, especially if you’re planting a hedge.
Who doesn’t think about buying lavender in the spring ? As long as you keep them away from bright light and just damp enough not to dry out you will have legions to choose from come April.

On the Plot

It’s almost as if you need to be as knowledgeable about storing and preserving at this time of year with so much produce. Potatoes will be fine in a brown paper bag in the dark as long as they are all unscrupulously dry. Even a dab of moisture will turn them into mush when you want mash and ruin a whole bag.
Courgette’s being so prolific they need to be given away to friends. I've come to the conclusion that its impossible to preserve or store courgettes in a way that retain their appeal.
Whilst were on the topic of being self sufficient, the favourite crop of most allotmenteers is now in full flow. There is nothing better than home grown tomatoes and you can even save their seeds indefinitely year on year. I believe this might build up more resistance to blight over generations of plants but I've no research to rely on, just intuition.
Sieve the seeds of your fresh tomato and place them on kitchen paper to dry as individually as possible for a few weeks. Once they've hardened then store them in a paper bag/envelope and plant them next February indoors or under glass as usual. Again this will save you hard earned cash.
It's sowing time for lettuce, winter spinach and Saxa dwarf French beans which will all be quite straightforward if the rain continues as the forecasters are telling us it will.
Thankfully weather forecasts are prone to getting it wrong from time to time so we can look forward to keeping busy both when its sunny and in the rain this week.