Page 28 - Real Rochdale Issue 14 Summer 2022
P. 28

GARDENING TIPS



                                    FOR SUMMER










                                                      ABOUT THE WRITER
                                                      Roy Down is an engagement and development worker
                                                      at Petrus as well as the chairman of Rochdale in Bloom.
                                                      His role at Petrus is to help improve the mental health
                                                      and wellbeing of volunteers through gardening, as well
                                                      as those referred via NHS social prescribing.



                                                                    Summer is the time when gardens are at their
                                                                    best with lots of beautiful blooms and bright
                                                                    colours to cheer up those days when the sun
                                                                    doesn’t shine.

                                                                    Despite the fact that Rochdale gets its fair                      They make a wonderful display that’s lovely to look at, and useful to cook with too.
                                                                    share of rainfall, newly planted flowers are
                                                                    prone to drying out at this time of year. Water                   At Petrus PIER, our favourite herbs right now include chocolate mint, oregano and coriander.
                                                                    conservation and capturing water is really                        Do watch out for herbs like mint, which can take over a container and dominate the display.
                                                                    important. If you have room, consider installing                  It is better to grow these separately or plant them in their own pot within the container to
                                                                    a water butt to collect excess rainwater - much                   control their growth.
                                                                    better for your plants than tap water too.  If
                                                                    a water butt isn’t an option, a bucket left out                   Whatever you do this summer, make sure you take a moment to enjoy and take solace in the
                                                                    to collect rainwater will do just as well - every                 green spaces you have access to, and feel free to head down to Petrus PIER to see what we
                                                                    drop counts.                                                      have got ‘growing’ on.

                                                                    Your vegetables and plants will need feeding
                                                                    to encourage growth, meaning more flowers
                                                                    for your display, or fruits and vegetables for
                                                                    your table.


                                                                    Organic fertilisers (such as seaweed feed)
                                                                    work well for a general weekly feed of flower
                                                                    beds. In the vegetable patch, tomatoes and
                                                                    peppers will need a high potassium fertiliser
                                                                    every week to encourage flowers and fruit to
                                                                    develop and to help keep pests and diseases
                                                                    at bay.
                  As the soil continues to warm up and veg and flowers grow stronger, so do the weeds. Keep them at
                  bay by hoeing weedlings as they germinate. Tackling them at this stage will be easier and less time
                  consuming than letting them dominate your vegetable and flower beds.

                  If you have limited growing space, think about growing some herbs in a container by the back door or
                  on a windowsill.  There are lots of herbs to choose from and many have attractive foliage and scent.





          REAL ROCHDALE - summer 2022                       28                                                                                                                    29                     REAL ROCHDALE - summer 2022
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