The potting shelf
AS DAYLIGHT HOURS extend towards the summer solstice, so the list of gardening tasks lengthens. If you consult the experts, this month’s is split between two categories: the nurturing and the cruel-to-be-kind.
Precious young plants — cossetted, tender specimens despite hardening off — need planting out; thirsty crops like beans and squash must be mulched; and everything seems to require feeding and watering according to particular dietary requirements.
There is hoeing, deadheading and staking to be
