Tag: gardening

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

What you need to avoid pruning this Spring …

The cartoon headline says, “Knowing what to prune is as important as knowing what not to prune, at this time of the year … like Elder” Two worms are in the soil, on the ground in front of them is a pruned wintersweet clipping. One worm, standing in the soil says, “ Or wintersweet” The other worm, who has been cut in half says, “or me”

Spring can be the busiest time of year for gardeners. Once day length and temperatures increase, our plants surge into growth. In addition to soil preparation, seed sowing and planting, there’s also plenty of pruning to be done.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

Which plants are you waiting to prune?

The cartoon headline says, “Evergreen hedges, Like Box, can be pruned at the end of May, but best to wait until all risk of frost has passed.” Two worms are looking at a cardboard box, in front of a hedge. One worm says to the other, “ Their Box hasn’t needed pruning in all of the years I’ve been here.”

Box (Buxus) is commonly planted in gardens as a clipped, formal plant or hedge, although there are many types available that are ideal for naturalistic planting. While box has been a traditional stalwart in gardens, it is now proving more difficult to grow well due to disease and pests marring their neat appearance.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

Pruning – go wild

The cartoon headline says, “It’s a good time to prune your Choiysa. Remove frost damage and cut back any wild looking side shoots …” The image is of two worms looking at a wild side shoot of a choiysa. One of the worms says o the other, “That’s as wild as it gets around here”

The worms have spent some time thinking of tasks in the garden for May this week. There’s quite a few to dos, like cutting back wild side shoots and frost damage on your Choiysa. Follow our blog to get more daily gardening cartoons, ideas, tasks and tips.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

Time to get tough on your plants

The cartoon headline says, “Harden off tender plants by putting them out doors in the morning, bringing in at night ….” The image is of two worms looking at a load of young tender plants in a row. One of the worms says o the other, “Avoid wind, midday sun, frosts, slugs …” The other work says, “ If it ws up to me I’d leave them indoors”

Plants raised indoors or in a greenhouse need to be acclimatised to cooler temperatures, lower humidity and increased air movement for about two to three weeks before they are planted outdoors. This ‘toughening up’ process is known as hardening off.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

To prune or not to prune, that is the question

The headline says, “Now’s a good time to dos one spring pruning and improve the shape of your plants.” The image is of two works under a lilac branch. One of the worms says, “ Early flowering shrubs bloom on the last year’s stems, so prune them once this season’s flowers faded.” The other worm says, “Like lilacs?” The worm replies, “They’re alright.”

The worms have spent some time thinking of tasks in the garden for May this week. There’s quite a few to dos, like pruning your early flowering shrubs. Perhaps it’s as important to know which plants not to prune, too. Follow our blog to get more daily gardening cartoons, ideas, tasks and tips.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

Cuttings need good air circulation

Snip, pot and cover softwood cuttings with a bag. Ensure good air circulation and keep the bag off your cuttings … The image shows two worms in a pot with cuttings, it is covered with a plastic bag … the two worms are supporting the plastic bag to keep it off the cuttings. One worm says to the other worm, “I suppose you're going to blame that smell on the compost?”

Softwood cuttings can be used to propagate a wide range of perennials and deciduous shrubs, as well as some trees, in spring and early summer. Material is taken from the soft and flexible young shoot tips, which root readily.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

A week of ‘Gardening-To-Do-Cartoons’ in May

The headline says, “Growing chill peppers? For the hottest chillis, grow them under glass and mist regularly to protect them from red spider mites.” The image is of two works under a chilli plant. One of the worms has licked a chilli and its face is red. It says to the other worm, “I now understand why the spider mites are red.”

The worms have spent some time thinking of tasks in the garden for May this week. There’s quite a few to dos, this is our omnibus sharing the cartoons we drew. Follow our blog to get more daily gardening cartoons, ideas, tasks and tips.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

The squirrels and birds are about to get fruity

The headline says, “Now’s the time to net and protect developing fruit from squirrels and hungry birds …” The cartoon shows two worms insoide the netting and a branch with some developing fruit buds on it. One of the worms says to the other worm, “ If it’s good enough for fruit, it’s good enough for us.”

The worms have spent some time thinking of tasks in the garden for May this week. There’s quite a few to dos, like netting your fruit from the hungry squirrels and birds. Follow our blog to get more daily gardening cartoons, ideas, tasks and tips.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

A hot tip for growing chillis

The headline says, “Growing chill peppers? For the hottest chillis, grow them under glass and mist regularly to protect them from red spider mites.” The image is of two works under a chilli plant. One of the worms has licked a chilli and its face is red. It says to the other worm, “I now understand why the spider mites are red.”

The worms have spent some time thinking of tasks in the garden for May this week. There’s quite a few to dos, like maintaining your chilli peppers. Follow our blog to get more daily gardening cartoons, ideas, tasks and tips.

Categories
allotment cartoon Tasks in the garden the wrigglers worms

Start sowing your courgettes and squash under cover

The headline says, “You can plant courgettes and Squash now, to plant them out after the last frost” The cartoon shows a worm with a detective hat and moustache in the soil next to a courgette plant under glass cover. The worm says. “It’s best to plant them under cover.”

The worms have spent some time thinking of tasks in the garden for May this week. There’s quite a few to dos, like getting a head start on your courgettes and squash – sowing them now, under glass, to protect them before planting out after the last frost. Follow our blog to get more daily gardening cartoons, ideas, tasks and tips.