Check the grass to see nothing strange is growing on itAutumn is coming and the grass growth is slowing down. My grass managed to reach the height of about two feet this year, due to neglect on my part. Every spring I make the resolution that I’m going to keep on top of the grass cutting by going out every week on a particular day, (Sunday this year) and cut the grass. I did this for the first couple of weeks in spring when the growth began in earnest. Then I forgot, or became distracted by something else important like digging up carrots or taking the dog for a walk, and before I knew it the grass was up to my knees. When this happens, the strimmer comes out to tackle the problem and over the growing season the area I strim gets smaller and smaller in ever decreasing circles, until there’s just enough short grass to put the patio table and chairs on. This week, come rain or shine I will be out there with the strimmer to get the grass down to a manageable level, leaving it looking tidy and cared for over the winter.
NEW LAWNS
This time of year is ideal to get a new lawn established. The cooler, wetter weather is ideal for the grass seed to germinate and you will be spared the job of having to water the ground in dry spells. There’s still enough heat in the sun for the grass to establish itself as well, before winter sets in. If you have taken the time and trouble to prepare a level, stone free seed bed (believe me it is a lot of work preparing the ground for a lawn!) then it might be an idea to leave it for a couple of weeks after you have prepared it. The reason for this isn’t to wait until your back has repaired itself, but if you wait for a while all the annual seeds on the top of the soil will have germinated. These can then be hoed down, creating a weed free bed to sow the grass seed on. This method is known as “ Stale seedbed” and it also is helpful to spot, and remove the odd perennial weed that was left in the soil such as dandelions, docks and creeping buttercups.
HERBS
I’ve been tidying the herb garden this week. Some of the plants are looking as though they need to be lifted and divided. This goes for most perennials, after a while the plants die in the middle so when the plant is lifted, the middle part can be thrown onto the compost heap and the fresh parts of the plant can then be divided up and replanted.
NEW LAWNS
This time of year is ideal to get a new lawn established. The cooler, wetter weather is ideal for the grass seed to germinate and you will be spared the job of having to water the ground in dry spells. There’s still enough heat in the sun for the grass to establish itself as well, before winter sets in. If you have taken the time and trouble to prepare a level, stone free seed bed (believe me it is a lot of work preparing the ground for a lawn!) then it might be an idea to leave it for a couple of weeks after you have prepared it. The reason for this isn’t to wait until your back has repaired itself, but if you wait for a while all the annual seeds on the top of the soil will have germinated. These can then be hoed down, creating a weed free bed to sow the grass seed on. This method is known as “ Stale seedbed” and it also is helpful to spot, and remove the odd perennial weed that was left in the soil such as dandelions, docks and creeping buttercups.
HERBS
I’ve been tidying the herb garden this week. Some of the plants are looking as though they need to be lifted and divided. This goes for most perennials, after a while the plants die in the middle so when the plant is lifted, the middle part can be thrown onto the compost heap and the fresh parts of the plant can then be divided up and replanted.
I’ve got quite a bit of basil still in the tunnel and with the nights getting colder I’ll probably bring some indoors for a bit of protection against the elements. I haven’t enough windowsills to accommodate all of the plants so the rest are going to make a basic pesto sauce. The basil leaves will be mixed with some olive oil and garlic, and then I’ll put the mixture into those ice cube containers that live in the freezer. This way I can take out what I need over the coming months.
Horticultural.
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