Make the most of these precious SUMMER DAYS with our quick and easy projects
ENJOY QUICK-TO-GROW SALAD LEAVES
Freshly picked salad leaves are so full of flavour and yummy goodness that you just have to have some growing at home! Sow now and you’ll be cropping in just a few weeks.
Any sized pot will do, but around 30cm is ideal. Fill with multipurpose compost up to 3-4cm from the top and lightly firm with the palm of your hand to provide a flat surface. Lightly sprinkle the seeds on the top – aim for 2.5cm apart but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Sprinkle over a 1.5cm layer of compost and water well so the top 5cm of compost is moistened, and keep moist. Rather than pull up whole plants, just snip off outer leaves as they grow, for a cut-and-come-again harvest.
Just be aware that slugs and snails will love your salad leaves as much as you do, so smear a broad layer of Vaseline around the pot, or use copper tape if you’ve got a roll in the shed (Serrated Copper Snail Tape, £8.99/5m, greengardener.co.uk is good if not). And keep your container of leaves well away from walls and other vertical surfaces – slugs and snails are very adept at abseiling!
PLANT A CHEERY POT OF MINI ANEMONES
A container of Japanese anemones on your patio will ease your journey from late summer into mid-autumn, and Anemone hupehensis ‘Fantasy Cinderella’ is a delightful compact variety with a height and spread of just 40cm. Stand the plant, still in its plastic pot, in a bucket of water for 10-15 mins. Pop crocks (pieces of broken terracotta pot or flat stones) over the pot’s drainage holes, then part-fill with compost. Position the anemone so the top of its rootball is 2.5cm below the rim of the pot, fill around with more compost, firming as you go, and give it a good water.
TIP Position your anemone in light or partial shade
MAKE A PLANT THEATRE
Plant theatres have been a popular way of displaying plants for centuries and, with the terracotta trend still in full swing, it’s fun to put any unused pots on show too. This is an upcycled bookcase, so check local online marketplaces for something suitable.
Sand it down all over to remove
