September Jobfile from the August 2001 Newsletter
- Mulch shrubs after rain
- Cucurbits (cucumber, squash, zucchini) can be planted from now onwards.
- Deadhead spring annuals such as pansies, primulas and dianthus to prolong blooming.
- lf your strawbenies are slow to flower, boost them with an application of sulphate of potash.
- Sow lettuce seed just before full moon each month between now and next winter.
- If you’ve planted broad beans as a green manure, tip prune them to induce fruiting (this also disposes of the black fly that congregate on the tips), and enjoy one good crop of beans before you dig the plants in.
- Stake and support heavy tomato bushes as they begin to grow.
- Prune hibiscus by one third before the end of the month.
- Pick poppies every day. Scald the base of the stalks in boiling water for a couple of seconds, before plunging in a vase of cold water.
- Fertilise fruit trees and give them a good soak.
- Attend to old and worn lawns by evening out any bumps and dips, aerating heavy traffic areas and applying gypsum to open up the compaction, and reseeding when it looks like rain.