Early June jobs

The asparagus season is now in its last few weeks and the tender new spears will need cutting every couple of days as they push through the soil. Cutting normally stops towards the end of June in order to give the plants the rest of the summer to build up their strength for next year.

June is the perfect time to trim low box hedges and topiary to keep them in shape. I prefer to do this job with small hand shears for a really neat job.

The recent rain has made everything in the garden grow, including the weeds, so it is important to chop them off with a hoe, or hand-weed before they get too large.

In the vegetable garden there is still time to sow runner and dwarf French beans for a crop in late summer.

Make sure that hanging baskets and summer containers are watered and fed on a regular basis to help them establish well.

Strawberries are just starting to ripen and if not protected will be eaten by blackbirds, so cover them over with some fine mesh or garden fleece for protection.