It’s September already as our gardening year gallops on! Where does the time go? Our day length begins to shorten and as I write this, signs of autumn are increasingly to be seen around the garden.

What does the word organic really mean to you? If you sometimes tend to ignore this term as simply a marketing ploy to sell expensive vegetables to you at posh markets and garden centres, it could be time to think again. 

‘National Allotments Week’ gives us all the chance to celebrate what has been a mainstay in the UK for generations, from ‘Digging for Victory’ during the war, to the sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyles of today, our allotments have always been a place of joyful practical gardening.

‘National Afternoon Tea Week’ is celebrated in the UK from August 7^th to August 13^th and it is a chance to spoil ourselves with lashings of char and copious amounts of scones, cake and sandwiches … nothing wrong with that!

August has arrived and once again we have been having to contend with high temperatures and water shortages this summer. Hopefully in August we will miss the heatwave that hit mainland Europe in July!

July is here and it’s hard to believe, but our garden year is over halfway through! Not only that, but gardeners are facing the same problem of water shortages as last year, only earlier!

‘Flaming June’ approaches and suddenly we are half way through the year already!

May is with us, the day length is increasing and hopefully, the late spring will set us up for a great summer in the garden. It’s a busy time, so without more ado, let's have a look at our gardening tasks for May.