Tips

Growing in the bay

Some notes on conditions and the local climate.

Despite being situated in east central Scotland, Dalgety Bay manages to enjoy a relatively mild climate. This is mostly due to the proximity to the river Forth and the low lying ground (all under 150 ft ASL). Where this is most noticable is in the timing of the seasons and the variety of tender plants that are successfully grown.

Never-the-less most of the Bay is quite exposed to the South, South East and West and through wind-chill effects, it can at times get as cold as any other low-lying part of Scotland. Wind strength is another factor and strong winds and fierce gales are common, as is salt laden air.

For success with tender plants therefore, try to take advantage of what shelter is available and use the heat stored in house and boundary walls to create a milder microclimate for your plants. Remember also that fences, when they can be made to stay up, also provide good wind breaks.

Dalgety Bay has a variety of soil types. The underlying subsoil is clay on limestone although some gardens are almost all sand below the top soil.

Acid loving plants tend to grow well, as evidenced by the number of conifers and heathers planted. Care must be taken with lime loving plants, like pinks. But in order to best appreciate your own growing conditions, you should have your soil tested. This can be accurately determined by any of the professional horticultural societies who normally offer this service for a fee. It may also be achieved (less accurately) by using a kit which is available from any garden centre. The acidity or alkalinity of your soil can then be adjusted by top dressing or digging-in the appropriate material.

It is also a good idea to see what is growing well in other gardens in the Bay. You can also ask for advice on which plants to grow from other Society members, or from any of the local garden centres.

August is a month of plenty in the vegetable garden, and harvesting is the order of the day. All the summer vegetables will be in full flow by now, and you’re likely to have plenty of french beans, peas, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, courgette and runner beans. The vegetable patch will look very green, with mature plants covering most of the soil, and there will be lovely splashes of colour from the runner bean and courgette flowers. If the weather is very dry, don’t forget to water your patch.

The Vegetable Patch in August

Keep picking your veg

Now is the time to eat plenty of veg, and you’ll often find you have quite a selection to choose from! Peas, french beans, runner beans, carrots, beetroot, peas, mangetout, onions, potatoes, courgette, tomatoes, cucumbers, swiss chard, spinach should all be ready now. Pick your veg regularly to encourage the plants to produce even more. This is a great month for enjoying lovely fresh vegetables.

Water pots and containers daily

Keep pots well watered during this month. Temperatures are often quite high, and many plants in pots will need watering twice a day. If you are going away on holiday, move your pots to a shady area and ask a neighbour to water them 2 or 3 times a week.

Keep weeding

Weeding is a never ending task! If you keep on top of it, it doesn’t have to be a big job. Use a hoe to displace the weed seedlings as they poke through the ground. Don’t allow any weeds to flower and seed (no matter how pretty they are!). You’ll only have more trouble next year.

Pest watch

Be vigilant and keep a look out for pests. Stressed plants (from lack of water and producing lots of veg) are more vulnerable to attack by pests. If you see any, deal with them straight away before they can become established.

Harvest garlic and onions

Garlic, onions and shallots are ready for lifting when the leaves turn yellow and fall to the ground. Dry them in the sun before storing.

Tie up tomatoes

Cordon tomatoes will still be heading for the sky. Tie their stems to support stakes and nip out any sideshoots that appear. Nip out the growing shoots once they reach the top of the support if they are in the greenhouse, or once you have six trusses outside. Remove any lower leaves to allow air to circulate.

Tidy up any harvested crops

Once a plant has finished cropping, dig it up and remove any plant debris (such as fallen leaves). This will help to prevent a build up of pests and diseases and will also expose any weeds. Don’t be too hasty though, some crops like french beans will often give a second smaller harvest.

Shake your sweetcorn

Once the flowers have opened at the top of your sweetcorn, give the plant a gentle shake to release the pollen and aid pollination.

Harvest ALL your potatoes

When you start digging up your potatoes, make sure you find them all, even the tiny ones! You don’t want volunteer potatoes next year, and they might also harbour disease and potato blight spores.

Sow green manure

If you find yourself with some free space after harvesting, consider growing a green manure. They improve the soil and suppress weeds. Try mustard, alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, Hungarian grazing rye or phacelia.

Remove butterfly eggs and caterpillars from your brassicas

Check your brassicas regularly for butterfly eggs and caterpillars and remove any that you find. Don’t leave them or they’ll quickly munch their way through your plants.

The Fruit Garden in August

Cut summer fruiting raspberry canes

Once your summer fruiting raspberries have finished cropping, cut the canes that have fruited down to soil level.

Tie in autumn fruiting raspberries

As your autumn fruiting raspberry canes grow, tie them to any supports and wires to stop them rocking about in the wind.

Plant new strawberry plants

To get the best strawberry crop, you need to replace your strawberry plants every 3 to 4 years. Now is the time to plant new strawberry plants ready for next year.

Take runners from your own strawberry plants

If your strawberry plants are disease free then propagate your own strawberries from the runners that your plants will be throwing out.

Tidy your strawberry bed

Once your strawberries have finished fruiting, remove any straw, old leaves and runners that you don’t want.

Water blueberries and cranberries

Keep watering your blueberries and cranberries regularly with rainwater, especially if they are grown in pots. They are thirsty plants.

Support melons

Leave just four fruit on your melon plants, and support the swelling melons with old tights or netting.

Prune stone fruit trees

Immediately after harvest, prune your plum, damson, apricot, nectarine and peach trees. Also, prune your cherry trees if you have not already done so.

Thin grapes

Thin out grapes, removing about a quarter of grapes per bunch. This allows the ones that are left to grow larger and ripen better.

Hang wasp traps

Wasps can be a problem around apples, plums and grapes. Hang wasp traps nearby or on the branches.