Gardeners World episode 19 2012: Our gardens offer so much at this time of year – after all our work earlier in the year it is now rewarding us with beds full of blooms, vegetables and berries.
However, there is still plenty to be getting on with to ensure the beauty continues right through to the autumn and Monty Don has plenty of timely gardening techniques to ensure the garden stays in tip top condition throughout the summer months.
Monty harvests his organic vegetables and finds out how viewers across the UK have got on with their own potato crops. He also gets to grips with his rambling rose by pruning it in the hope of getting an even better display next year.
Gardeners World episode 19 2012
Carol Klein looks at water lilies in the wild and visits a garden to see how breeding has enabled gardeners to grow sensational varieties in any size of pond. Roses are in full abundance at a small garden in Richmond, North Yorkshire, where the owners show us how to create a superb display in a small space.
Success with cucumbers
Cucumbers have a reputation for being difficult to grow. They’re thirsty creatures and are very prone to pests and disease. But with the right variety and a little know-how, it is possible to get a decent crop. Monty Don shares his recipe for success.
You can grow cucumbers in the ground, pots or in growing bags. Home-grown cucumbers taste fabulous. Choose the type that’s right for you – some can be grown outside, some indoors. Outdoor cucumbers can be sown directly into the soil in late May and early June – or you can buy small plants from the garden centre.
Either sow seeds or plant out young plants in early June, ideally under fleece or cloches. Any fertile garden soil in full sun is satisfactory. Dig in up to two bucketfuls of rotted organic matter, such as garden compost, and rake in 100g per square metre (3½oz per square yard) of general purpose fertiliser.
Pinch out the growing tip when the plants have developed seven leaves. The developing sideshoots can be left to trail over the ground or trained up stout netting. Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots after seven leaves. Don’t remove the male flowers, and keep the soil constantly moist by watering around the plants – not over them.
Pruning a rambler rose
Rambling roses can turn into monsters left to their own devices. Scrambling up over a tall tree or up the side of a house, there’s no end to their vigorous growth. But when should you give them a tidy up? And how do you go about it? Monty Don has the answers.
