Hints and Tips for September

Why not try saving some seed from your annual flowering plants? Many are producing seed at the end of the summer. All you have to do in dry weather is to pick off the seed heads, separate seed from the protective capsule and lay out on paper in a dry place for a few days until thoroughly dry. Then place them in a labelled envelope and keep dry and cool until sowing time the following year. It’s easy!

In your strawberry patch, remove all traces of straw used to cushion the fruit to prevent fungal diseases as the straw rots down in the winter.

We have talked about harvesting vegetables. Some people find it hard to know when their sweet corn cobs are ripe. Here’s a simple tip. Push a thumb nail into a seed as they ripen. If a thin, colourless liquid appears, the cob is not ripe. A thick, creamy-white liquid however means the cob is just right – and delicious they are!

A final thought! September is the time to get your requests in for those colourful seed/plant catalogues to relax in autumn and plan another wonderful garden for 2021!