This weekend sees the return of some gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme. With the advent of some easing on lockdown criteria, the charity has been able to arrange pre-booked and prepaid, timed visits in gardens that can accommodate social distancing.

Garden owners have been asked if they want to open and if they can meet the required guidelines. Regrettably, my garden, which should have opened for the first of five dates for the scheme last Tuesday, will not be one of them, as we just can’t accommodate the social distancing. The gardens that are bookable will be posted, each Monday, for the following seven days on the scheme’s website, www.ngs.org.uk

It is expected the timed slots will book up quite quickly. No gardens will be offering refreshments but some, providing they are big enough, will allow visitors to bring their own picnics. So, if you need a garden visit fix, log onto the web site and see what is available in the coming days.

It has all seemed a little strange at Driftwood, especially as the weather has been so glorious, not to have visitors wandering around. There are some advantages though. I am able to enjoy the garden more myself and it looks very different with not quite so many pots so watering is a little easier.

This week I received the drone footage from ITV which was filmed last month. I’ve been able to create a four-minute, “Driftwood from the air” video which you can see on the YouTube page of my website. It really does show a totally different perspective of the garden and its location.

My tomatoes, grown from seed for the very first time as I have had more time, are starting to do well in the greenhouse. They need a lot of water and feed if they’re to produce a bountiful crop. For best results, water little and often. Some gardeners leave a few filled watering cans to warm in their greenhouse so the water is not shockingly cold from the tap or water butt. Do remember to feed them with a general liquid feed until the first truss has formed then alternate with a high potash feed to encourage more flowers and fruit.

Did you know that to save space you can grow your outdoor tomatoes in hanging baskets or upside down? Simply plant a young tomato plant through a hole in the bottom of a bucket or similar hanging container, and fill the container with multi-purpose compost. Suspend the bucket from a bracket and allow the plant to dangle beneath it.

Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk