Weekend Work: Plant early spinach and take cuttings of herbs
Saturday 10 September 2011
Related articles
What to do
* Morello cherries fruit on growth made the previous year, not on old wood. You need to dissuade them from fruiting only round the outer fringes of the tree by cutting away one or two of the older branches now.
* Spinach can be sown now to give an early crop in April of next year.
* Take thyme cuttings by pulling off strong growing shoots and pushing them into the ground round the parent plant. They should root in four weeks.
* Take cuttings of lavender and sage by pulling off shoots about 15cm (6in) long with a good heel attached and lining them out 5-8cm (2-3in) deep in light sandy soil. Firm down the soil around the cuttings and keep them well watered.
* Pull onions and leave them to ripen on top of the ground until the green stems have withered to the colour and texture of straw.
What to buy
* Early autumn flowering bulbs such as colchicum need to be in the ground as soon as possible. Avon Bulbs ( avonbulbs.co.uk) have six different kinds including the fabulous white C. speciosum 'Album'. "Still expensive but worth it," says Chris Ireland-Jones of Avon. C. autumnale 'Album' is half the price, but then it's only half as good. Hurry, though, because orders for Avon colchicums close by mid-September.
Life & Style blogs
How can the mortgage market recovery be helped?
Guest post by Richard Sexton, business development director of e.surv chartered surveyors
Wandsworth tops aspiring young professionals hotspot list
Other popular areas include Didsbury, Clifton in Bristol, central Cambridge and West Bridgford
- 1 Exclusive: Woolwich attack suspect attended meetings of banned Islamist group - and were known by security services
- 2 'Sickening, deluded and unforgivable': Horrific attack brings terror to London’s streets
- 3 Grace Dent: I’m not sure how these people can avoid being called ‘bigots’. And the more ‘civilised’, the worse they are
- 4 Woolwich murder: They killed, then they performed - these men should be starved of our attention
- 5 Woolwich attack: The EDL will seek to exploit this evil crime for their own evil ends
Zoopla SmartMaps
Search exactly where you are interested in living by editing our area boundaries - or drawing your own.
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Making reading fun for kids
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Day In a Page
Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness
Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last
How to say ‘I’m a sellout’


Comments