ROB' S PLOT Playing it cool!

August certainly can be a sizzler of a month in the kitchen garden, with greenhouse temperatures soaring and watering becoming the key to success, explains Rob Smith

- Rob Smith

I find it best to water as early in the day as possible – this not only helps prevent plants from getting scorched if water gets on the leaves, it also prevents them from sitting in wet compost during the colder night-time hours.

Then, as greenhouse crops ripen, I like to increase the feeding to twice a week to help encourage the best fruit I can get from the plants. Personally, I use either homemade comfrey feed or a good organic tomato or seaweed feed. After watering the plants, I always damp down the paving slabs in the greenhouse as well; this causes a little more humidity and helps to prevent red spider mites as they like it dry. While there, it’s best to remove yellowing leaves from any plant and those that are shading fruit. By allowing the sun to get to the fruit it will ripen better and ultimately taste better too.

NEW BASIL FOR OLD

The basil plants which I grow with my tomatoes are constantly harvested through the summer. However, I like to create new plants which can replace the ones growing when they start to flower. Simply snip a 15cm (6in) stem from the plant, strip the bottom half of leaves and put it in a glass of water out of direct sun. Within a few weeks, there will be roots and the cutting can then be potted up and grown on to give a later crop of leaves without having to start plants from seed.

CHRISTMAS CROPPERS