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By Richard
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Summer Gardening Tips for Small Space Gardening
Richard Burrows our Health and Safety Officer shares his gardening expertise. I’m always drawn to small gardens where space is limited and things are much more challenging. Having worked with tenants and residents in Liverpool, Wirral and Chester over many years, I’ve been lucky enough to see the most amazing spaces and sanctuaries that people have created from next to nothing and marvelled at the love and dedication they’ve invested in their efforts. As far as gardens are concerned, it’s definitely not a case of the bigger the better! For those of you with a small balcony, terrace, or yard its still quite possible to grow a range of plants to brighten the place and to provide you with some tasty fresh fruit and veg. Many people start with window boxes, containers of various shapes and sizes and hanging baskets, raised beds are a great idea for those who find the bending and reaching a problem. The key to successful container gardening is not to skimp on compost – get the best you can afford, remember these have to sustain flowers and fruit for three months. Though these are a great introduction to gardening, they must also be kept watered and fed as they dry out very quickly, especially in the hot weather they can be difficult to re wet once dry. A length of hosepipe with a lance attached is a really useful tool. Watering and feeding is really important if you’re going to get the best out of these so a regular feed with a soluble fertiliser in your water is essential, if you’re growing tomatoes or strawberries then a twice a week feed is a good idea when they’re showing flowers.
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Don’t forget you can plant vegetables in containers too, French beans do very well in a tub in a sunny spot – they’re small, compact and easy to manage as are some of the first early potatoes which are a welcome addition to the dinner plate at this time of the year. Dead head spent flowers to encourage repeat flowering – this is the same for all plants unless you’re collecting seed of course. Now is the time to get all your bedding plants out of the greenhouse or off the windowsill and into their final places in the sun: geraniums, busy lizzies, salvia, marigolds, petunias and lobelia appreciate the heat and direct sun, look after them and you’ll be guaranteed fantastic colourful displays and some amazing scent especially in the evening. The insects will thank you for it too. There’s much to do in the garden at the height of the season but remember it’s all about your enjoyment, learning and trying new things, so go ahead, have a try, relax and let nature do its thing, you’ll be amazed at what you create. If you have a query or a problem you just cant crack, then please let us know by emailing Communications@clwydalyn.co.uk and we can try and help with some advice. Happy gardening.
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