All About Herbs

28/08/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
Herbs and Flowers
Rambling roses can be pruned now if they have finished flowering. Cutting back the foliage and stems of herbaceous plants which have already died back (i.e Dicentra) should be a priority. Don’t neglect hanging baskets; deadheading, watering and feeding will help them last through to autumn. Deadhead plants such as Dhalia, Roses and Penstemon as well as bedding to prolong the colour into autumn. Hardy geraniums can be cut back a little to remove tired leaves and encourage new growth.
Sow biennials such as honesty, forget-me-nots, foxgloves and wallflowers for blooms next year. Dead head coleus plants to maintain the colourful foliage.
Cut back chives if they begin to show signs of rust, (orang patches up the stems) new, clean shoots will quickly re-grow. Prune out curled and folded leaves on bay trees to remove bay sucker eggs and nymphs. Rake up leaf litter under and around the base of trees/shrubs to further remove affected leaves harbouring the insects. Basil, parsley and coriander can still be sown this month. Earwigs are both 'good' and 'bad'. They damage flower petals on dahlias and petunias, but they are excellent predators of many fruit tree pests. So use the usual trap (an upside flower pot stuffed with straw), but instead of killing any earwigs found, take them to nearby fruit trees and release them to do their good work. No fruit trees? Just take them somewhere else away from the dahlias. Finish dividing clumps of bearded Iris now so they have time to form roots and flower buds for next year before the cold weather arrives.
Leafcutter bees will cut out large circular chunks of rose leaves, this will not harm them.

21/08/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
Fruit and Vegetables
Runner beans failing to set is due to lack of moisture at the roots. In dry weather, water well, at a rate of 5-10lt /sq m into the soil, twice a week. Contrary to popular belief, spraying flowers with water does not increase flower set. Plants grown over a winter compost trench will be especially happy with their roots embedded in a rich and moist environment. It is normal for runner beans to produce more flowers than can possibly set as beans; expect a 50% loss. Pinch out the tips of the runner bean plants once they reach the top of their support. This encourages side shoots and more beans at a manageable height for picking.
Spring sown carrots and beetroot will be ready for harvesting now. Though, they can be left in a bit longer without harm. Start harvesting your main crop potatoes as the leaves yellow and die back. Store them in hessian sacks as they block light but allow ventilation. Sweetcorn is ready to harvest when you can pop a kernel with your thumbnail and the juices are milky.
Summer pruning is mainly for apples and pears trained as cordons, espaliers, fans, pyramids and stepovers. It allows sunlight to ripen the fruit and ensures good cropping next year.
Lift and pot up strawberry runners and remove any old straw from the base of the plants to improve ventilation and reduce pests and diseases. Prune your black currents after harvesting. If you have plants fruiting in containers, make sure you give them a high potash liquid feed to keep them healthy and productive. Remember to feed any citrus fruit trees with a citrus fertiliser throughout the summer.

14/08/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
Trees, Lawn and Soil
A well composted soil, full of organic matter, holds water well, even in dry spells. Keep mulching - with lawn cuttings, light layer of compost or even straw and last year's leaf mould - and only add mulches after watering. Now is the perfect time to sow green manures, especially if you have bare soil after harvesting. Plants such as vetch and clover will rapidly cover bare patches and fix nitrogen from the air onto root nodules. Be sure to dig them in after flowering and before seed sets. Phacelia can be sown now, will germinate quickly, and its beautiful lilac flowers are a magnet for bees and other useful insects. Keep hoeing off w**ds before they flower and set seed. Add them to the compost heap.
Perennial w**ds have roots full of minerals. Don't waste them. Add the foliage to the compost bin, and stuff the roots into a plastic sack. Add water or a urine/water mix (1 part urine/20 parts water) and tie the sack top. Leave for a month or two, until the w**ds are sludgy. This gloop can now be added to the compost. The compost heap should be a mix of brown and green material in a roughly 50:50 ratio. If your heap is dry, water it and then add grass clippings, nettles or comfrey leaves to speed up the decomposition process. If too wet, scrumpled cardboard or shredded/scrunched up paper will create air pockets and prevent lawn cuttings going slimy.
Do the final cut for any hedges, it won’t be long before the cold stops growth. August is the last month to prune ornamental trees if they need it. This allows the wounds to heal before winter and reduces the risk of silver leaf disease.

07/08/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
General Maintenance
August is usually one of the hottest months of the year, making watering essential. Try to use grey water wherever possible, especially as water butts may be running low if it has been a dry summer.
Use biological controls to deal with greenhouse pests. Order the controls as soon as you notice the pests; don't wait for an infestation to build up. Use the predatory mite Phytoseiulius for red spider mite, the tiny wasp Aphidius for Aphids, the predatory mite Hypoaspis for control of sciarid fly, the parasitic wasp Encarsia for white fly and Cryptolaemus beetles for mealybugs. While you wait for them to arrive, rub off any pests you see. Avoid splashing water onto leaves in the greenhouse when you irrigate. Moisture triggers spore germination of fungal diseases such as mildews and grey mould.
Keep an eye out for waterlily aphids in the pond. Blast them off with a jet of water. Use boiling water as a w**d killer in paved areas, they wilt and die within a few days.

24/07/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
VEGETABLES
If you haven’t managed to start yet, or your first sowings and plantings are not as bountiful as you would prefer, there is still time to sow more. Soil has warmed up and direct sowings should be more successful.
What to sow outdoors in July
The below list are plants which do not like root disturbance, so plant in either module trays or their final growing spot.
Beetroot – early and main crop
Calabrese
Cauliflower – mini varieties
Chinese cabbage
Khol rabi
Lettuce – Loose leaf, Cos, Crisp and Butter. In hot weather, sow into modules or seed trays and shade from the sun.
Pak Choi
Spinach perpetual
Rainbow or Swiss Chard
These plants do not mind root disturbance, so they are fine to transplant later:
Carrots – early
Chicory – Pain di Zucchero, harvest in October
Chicory – red and sugarloaf
French beans
Kale
Parsley
Peas – main crop, mangetout and sugarsnap
Radish – mooli, winter
Turnip
Beware of carrot fly when thinning carrots; the scent releases from the bruised foliage will attract the pests, use very fine mesh barrier to protect plants. The same mesh will protect brassicas from cabbage white butterfly and peas and pea moth.
If dealing with aphids, remember washing up liquid is not soap, it is a powerful detergent designed to degrease a frying pan. Plant’s tender new growth can be severely damaged if sprayed with a solution. It is better to squish them by hand instead, use gloves if squeamish.
Potato blight spores will wash down from the leaves into the soil. Protect tubers by earthing up plants, or, mulching them with a thick layer of straw or leaf mould. If foliage is severely affected, it is better to defoliate completely to clear away the spores.

17/07/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
Fruit
July is the month that the fruit garden comes into it’s own. However, once a crop has been harvested, remove protective nets to allow birds back in, they will pick off pests for the rest of the summer.
Thin out apples and pears, particularly if you have a heavy crop. Firstly remove any diseased, damaged or unusually small fruits. Then carefully reduce numbers to no more than 2-3 per cluster, this will make sure the fruits are larger and sweeter than they would otherwise be.
If you have not mulched under your strawberries with straw yet, do so now. It helps to reduce grey mould. Once fruiting has finished, cut off old leaves to prevent disease.
Summer prune red and white currents, (but not blackcurrants,) and gooseberries. This allows more air circulation, lets light in to ripen the fruit and reduces disease. Trim back all side shoots to 3-4 buds from their point of growth and cut out crossing shoots in the middle of the bush.
Pest and Disease watch
Inspect fruits frequently and remove any leaves infected with botrytis (grey mould). Do not add to the compost heap. Raspberry rust is a common fungal disease, but rarely serious. However, it can cause early leaf drop and reduced vigour, so pick off and destroy infected leaves. Rake up and remove all fallen leaves. Consider re-planting a rust resistant cultivar, such as Glen Prosen, in a new site.
Cut out apple twigs and leaves infected with powdery mildew. Continue to carry out a twice-weekly search for gooseberry sawfly larvae. Start in the centre of the bush and work outwards. Pick off and destroy.
To protect wall or fence trained fruit, such as peaches and nectarines, drape fleece or fine mesh over the tree. Secure it to a supporting structure, ensuring no gaps.
Hang up codling moth pheromone traps in apple trees. The sticky traps lure the male moths so disrupt their mating cycle.

11/07/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
Herbs and Flowers
Cut lavender for drying, choosing the most recently opened flowers for fragrance. Hang upside down in a cool, dark place to dry. Give Dahlias a liquid feed, keep them well watered and tie the shoots of taller varieties to stakes as they grow. Feed and water sweet peas regularly, pick the flowers every few days and pick off seed pods if you want to prolong flowering. Feed water and dead head summer bedding regularly, in pots borders and baskets.

11/07/2026

17/05/2026

I will have a stall at the Saltaire health and Healing fair in June this year. I am so looking forward to it. My talk will be on skin conditions and I will have some new products that correspond.....

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01/05/2026

So this is where I am today