Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Too much heat and too much sun is not good for plants. During heatwaves photosynthesis slows down and will stop altogether when temperatures rise to around 35C. Thus the garden is full of green tomatoes and semi mature fruits which will ripen when the temperatures …Read More about August: Hot August nights
Posts relating to watering
July: Summer extremes
A bit of rain is always welcome at this time of summer but violent thunderstorms along with extreme heat can be quite difficult. Young plants are easily damaged in heavy downpours and tomato flowers can be knocked off. Following on from disturbed conditions last month most the garden crops are behind in their development compared …Read More about July: Summer extremes
Recycling potting soil
What do you do with your old potting soil? The current heatwave is a good opportunity to turn dry dusty old soil into a useful mineral rich medium for use in next month’s winter planting. Ideally is to mix this new medium with matured home made compost but if that is not available then the …Read More about Recycling potting soil
Heat wave gardening
The weather forecast for the next few weeks is very hot with temperatures between 26 and 31 degrees. With little or no rain in sight, these conditions have not been seen since the last major heatwave in Belgium in 1976. This poses serious problems for garden vegetables which may already be entering a state of …Read More about Heat wave gardening
Extreme weather warning
This heatwave is not good for people or gardens in Brussels. The Royal Institute of Meteorology in Belgium has expressed concern about the situation (read here). The Belgian Interregional Environment Agency has launched an official warning phase of its ozone and heatwave plan (read here). It is important both people and gardeners pay attention to …Read More about Extreme weather warning
Which watering system?
For many people living in cities watering a garden is the reason not to garden. Whether weekends away from home or holidays, or just simply a full working schedule, keeping a garden alive through the summer is just too much work. Technology now exists to cover all of this. House Plants For household plants there …Read More about Which watering system?