In the garden this week: Fruit trees, plus lettuces for longer

How to ensure happy strong trees. Plus a new way to make your salad crop last

A fruity future

If you have planted fruiting trees over the winter or spring, you have an unhappy task to carry out. It is important that new trees are not granted to fruit during their first year, because it takes masses of the energy that the plant should be putting into roots and establishment. Go over the branches and “de-blossom” or, if blossom has been and gone, pick off the little fruits. You’ll have a stronger, happier tree in the long run.

Lettuces for longer

This year I am not sowing lettuce successionally apiece couple of weeks, but am instead following Charles Dowding’s plan for mini leaves, as outlined in his excellent book Organic Gardening: The No Dig?Way. Dowding plants out lettuces at a distance of 20-25cm, lets them develop and then discards the outer?leaves (which reduces hiding places for slugs), before picking the?next layer of leaves apiece few days, always leaving a central head of?small leaves behind. This way, apiece plant?crops for around three?months.

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In the garden this week: Fruit trees, plus lettuces for longer