Gardening Tips for July

July Gardening Tips

July is a joy as you start to pick all those wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the vegetable patch or allotment is still very demanding, and watering and weeding are key.

Make sure you keep crops well-watered. It is better to water them frequently and generously, as intermittent watering can cause problems with fl owers falling, fruits failing to form, skins splitting and premature bolting. Watering at the beginning or end of the day is preferable as the temperatures are lower and the sun not so strong and spreading a mulch will help to slow down evaporation and suppress weeds. Also hoeing is good for water retention as it breaks up the soil and it also keeps weeds at bay. It is now time to lift garlic; hang the bulbs out in the sun or in an airy shed. Onions also need drying well before they are stored. A few days before harvesting, loosen the soil around the roots, choose a dry day to lift the bulbs and lay them on the ground in the sun. Do not be tempted to store them until they are thoroughly dry as they will not keep as long and probably rot. Also, early potatoes can be lifted and, if you are not using the space for anything else, a green manure can be planted, such as mustard (a fast growing crop), which will help prevent weed growth and can be dug in, when fully grown, to provide nutrients for the soil. Although it is getting late for sowing and planting, there are still a few crops that can be planted:

• Lettuce, rocket and a variety of salad leaves – succession sow for an ongoing supply in the autumn. • Fast-growing varieties of peas, beetroot and carrots. • Florence fennel. • Plant out your leeks. Just dib a hole about 150mm, six inches deep and drop the leek into the hole. Water it in and the job’s done. You do not need to fi ll the holes with soil; enough will wash in with watering and rain. The reason you plant in a hole is to blanch the stem. • Plant out cabbage, caulifl owers, Brussels, broccoli and kale for autumn and winter cropping, using the space created by lifting onions, garlic and early potatoes. • Plant potatoes ready for Christmas. Garden centres usually stock the winter varieties. Other jobs to do in the vegetable patch: • When climbing beans have reached the top of the canes, pinch out the growing tip. • Strawberries will fi nish fruiting so tidy up old foliage and cut off runners or use them to produce new plants. • Earth up brassicas to give them a fi rm hold in the soil and give them a top-dressing of nitrogenous fertilizer or an organic liquid feed. • Don’t forget to nip off the side shoots of your tomatoes, they appear in the ‘v’ between leaf stems and main stems, and when there are four or fi ve trusses, pinch out the growing tip of the plant to allow the fruit to ripen. Enjoy the fruits of your labour!