Fact Sheet Five - Download here THE GARDENERS DIARY
WEEK 5
24 October 2004 HOW TO PLANT YOUR SOFT FRUIT CANES: Much of this process is similar to the planting of your fruit trees which we covered in week 4 fact sheet. Look to plant your canes roughly 45cm apart and if you are planting them next to a wall come out about 20cm. If you are not planting your canes next to a wall you will need to create some kind of frame for the plant to grow up. There are a variety of ways to do this and we would advise you look at the alternatives in your local garden centre. If you are planting next to a wall you will need to attach some vine eyes to the wall but this can be done at a later date and we will tell you how this is done in future programmes. Once you have removed the cane from its tub, if it came in one, look on the stem of the cane and the soil from the pot should have left a mark. This is a good guide as to where the cane should be planted up to in the ground. Simply plant the cane up to the soil mark. Remember to put some slow release fertilizer in the hole that you are planting the cane in. Put the cane in the middle of the hole and fill in with soil and compost and compact the ground around it. Once you have planted the cane cut down to about 8cm or just above where you can see a dormant bud. This will seem a bit drastic but don't worry. The last thing to do is lightly water the area. HOW TO
SOW PEAS: Try and pick a reliable early cropping variety of pea like Feltenham First or Meteor for example. Create a shallow drill (see dictionary) roughly 15cm wide and about 5cm deep. You will need to plant the peas in a zig-zag fashion. Place 2-3 peas in one corner of the drill and then moving up and across as in a zig-zag place another 2-3 peas and continue this along the whole drill. Once you have laid all the peas simply cover with the soil at the edge of the drill. Using bamboo canes or similar material create a cover for the crop. Angle two canes so they meet each other and form a triangle over the peas. Do this all along the area where you have planted your peas remembering to tie the canes together at the apex. To help keep birds away you might like to attach some silver foil or old plastic milk cartons to the top of the canes. Lightly water the area.
THE DIARY
Tidy and trim trees: Check the canopies of ornamental trees in the garden for over crowding. Branches may be inward growing and crossing. These should be removed to stop future problems or disease being caused on the branches. If you do come across any dead, damaged or diseased wood remove these at the same time. Any wounds made to the tree over 25mm should be treated with a pruning compound. So if you chop off a bigger branch make sure you treat the wound. If the canopy is too large for you to do the work then employ the help of a local tree surgeon. Some of the trees you might be thinking of tackling could have preservation orders on them. Remember to check with your local council if you suspect this might be the case. Plant new vines inside out: Most garden centres and nurseries will often carry a few indoor and outdoor varieties. Before planting the chosen vine take a pane out of the greenhouse and carefully cut a square out of it and then replace the pane. Plant the new vines OUTSIDE the greenhouse in the ground and train the plant through the hole in the pane. Once planted trim the vine half its height, feed and mulch with some organic matter and then wait until the spring for further instructions. Pest problems: You may find that some houseplants still have signs of green fly and aphids especially on ones which were placed on the patio for the summer months or have come in close proximity with plants being over wintered inside. Spraying inside can be a problem due to residues in certain insecticides which can damage furnishings and also be dangerous when being sprayed inside an enclosed area. Placing the infected plants outside could really damage them. There are couple options open to you. The first is to take the infected plant/plants and throw them away. This of course is highly costly especially if you have nurtured the plant for some years. Alternatively treat all the infected plants with Provado Vine Weevil Killer. This will not only protect the plant for six months against vine weevil attack but will also give you at least one months treatment against sap sucking insects like green fly, thus ridding yourself of these unwanted squatters. Provado is a 'water on' type insecticide so you will avoid spreading residue.
Listen to The Gardener's Diary with Luke Ashmead on BBC Three Counties Radio every Sunday afternoon at 2.00pm Contact The Gardener's Diary Here BBC Three Counties Radio 98, 103.8, 95.5 and 104.5FM | 
