Summer is just around the corner and many of your plants will be working hard for the next few months as they go through their most vigorous growth phase, so it’s time to spend some time on weeding, feeding, and watering.

Our hot dry summers can be pretty tough on plants, particularly those which produce flowers, fruit or vegetables over this time. Remove the competition for water and nutrients by weeding thoroughly, then add a lovely thick layer of mulch. This will not only help to suppress weeds, but it will help the soil retain moisture and keep it nice and healthy by protecting the top layer from the sun’s harsh rays. Weedmat may give a temporary suppression of weeds, but it won’t last long and will make things worse as the mat tends to ‘sour’ the soil below by preventing good circulation of air and water.; plus weed will eventually become enabled in the weedmat layer.

If you like hostas, now is the time to plant; the new season varieties should have arrived in stores by now.

It is still a good time to plant out seedlings of warm season veges. Remember to stagger plantings by a few weeks to ensure a continuous harvest of your favourites.

You can direct sow vege seeds such as courgettes, parsnip, pumpkin, radish and sweetcorn; and flower seeds of poppy, nasturtium and sunflowers

The following will benefit from sowing in trays for planting out later: cabbage, capsicum, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, and spring onions.

It’s all a good time to think about irrigation, especially if you will be away over the holidays. Your local garden centre or DIY store will have a good range of options, many of which are very reasonably priced.

Feed your strawberries, citrus trees and veges with blood and bone, (make sure you water it in well), Dynamic Lifter, or any good quality fish and seaweed based liquid fertiliser.