Joao Winckler

Fish sauce in anything that needs depth. A few drops in a pasta sauce, a soup, even scrambled eggs, and you'd never know it was there but you'd miss it if it wasn't. Miso stirred in at the end of a broth does the same thing.

Sandy soil in that kind of heat is really tricky, it drains fast enough that once a week might not be cutting it even with long run times. The smoke probably isn't helping either, plants really struggle with photosynthesis during heavy smoke events.

The tendril method is the one I've ended up trusting most. Easier than getting the thumping sound right, and you can check it without even picking the melon up. Yellow spot is a good backup when the tendril isn't clear.

Had this happen to a plum once after a really dry August, absolutely bizarre to see blossom in late summer. Alder's point about pinching the fruit makes sense so the tree isn't wasting energy going into winter. Fingers crossed it bounces back fine next spring.

Tarps work fine for this. You do need to leave it longer than cardboard, a good 6-8 weeks in summer at least, but they're more reliable in wet weather and won't break down unevenly. Just make sure the edges are weighted down well or they lift in any wind and let light in underneath.

Lavender sachets for drawers and wardrobes are a classic for a reason, keeps things smelling good and supposedly deters moths. I just dry the stems, strip the flowers and stuff them into small fabric bags, nothing fancy at all. Also worth trying infused into honey if you bake, works surprisingly well.

Mine did something similar, got about that size and then just gave up on me. Never got to taste them either. Really want to try again sometime.

Fresh off the bush is hard to beat. Although I always end up with fewer than expected because half of them disappear before they make it inside.

Yeah the August garden is genuinely grim isn't it. Everything looks half dead or completely out of control, and you're supposed to be excited about planting autumn crops. I find the bit where you just accept it looks terrible and do it anyway is usually when things turn around.

Same here honestly, never bothered with it. Short summers mean every day counts and messing about with topping just feels like asking for trouble. Maybe if you're growing them in a polytunnel with a long season it makes more sense, but for outdoor plants I'd rather just let them get on with it.