This Month in The Garden – July 2022

July is an abundant month of goodies to harvest, with courgettes ready, salads, peas and broad beans to be picked and fruits to be eaten. Flowers brighten the wildlife filled allotment and garden.

It is also a busy time. As soon as plants finish cropping it is time to sow or plant salads for autumn. But make sure to enjoy this month with its long evenings and take time to relax.

In the Allotment

• Keep new, young plants well-watered in dry spells. Only water plants when they need it. It is better to give them a good soak less often than a little water each day. Fruit and vegetables in containers will need more water but check before watering as too much water can kill pot grown plants.

• Pinch out runner beans at the top of their canes to stop them growing too high. They will put more energy into producing beans.

• Remember to remove side shoots from older cordon tomato plants. Look out for tomato and potato blight, removing any diseased foliage as soon as it appears. See my article for more information on blight and on how to grow tomatoes.

• Prune summer fruiting raspberries once all the fruit has been picked. Cut the canes that produced fruit this year down to ground level. This will encourage new stems to grow from the base which will produces fruit next year.

• Cut lavender for drying. Make the most of it! See my article Herb of the Month – Lavender for information on harvesting and using lavender in the home.

• Take cuttings from herbs such as lemon verbena, thyme and sage. Lemon verbena is a beautiful herb. If you do not have any, go out and get one! It will enhance your life!

• Peg down knew strawberry runners to produce plants. This can be done with a large stone or pebble.

Sowing Undercover

• Sow early in July - beetroot.

• Before mid-month - lettuce, leaf beet, chard, endive, chicory.

• After mid-month - bulb/Florence fennel, chervil, coriander, land cress, wild rocket.

• At the end of the month in cool areas - spinach, mustards, pak choi, salad rocket, turnips.

• Lettuce for autumn and other winter or autumn salads such as spinach, mustards, pak choi, salad rocket.

• Parsley to overwinter. Peas can also be sown this month.

Sowing Outside

• Sow outside the same as for under cover, plus carrots can be sown until mid-July.

Planting

• Beetroot, bulb fennel, carrots sown earlier.

• Kale, cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflower can be planted.

Harvesting

• Peas, broad beans, courgettes and salads can be harvested.

• Garlic should be harvested by early July. Onions and shallots can also be harvested. If you are not using fresh make sure to dry well for storing.

• Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, gooseberries and currants can be picked.

• Pick herbs regularly to maintain a fresh supply and preserving and storing any extra.

In The Garden

• Continue to deadhead spent flowers.

• Plant autumn flowering bulbs.

• Mulch around plants to retain water, making sure the soil is moist before mulch is added.

• If you do not have a water butt, get one (or several!). We have eight and still I am careful with water. Rainwater is better for plants, free and far more suitable. Tap water contains chlorine. Water is an important resource and should not be wasted. When we are expecting rain, I even put extra buckets out to collect as much rainwater as possible.

• Take semi-ripe cuttings of shrubs, including herbs, to add free plants to your garden or to give away to family and friends. We regularly swap plants grown from cuttings with friends and family.

Looking After Wildlife

• Make sure birds have plenty of clean, fresh water too.

• Avoid trimming hedges between now until September when birds are nesting. Bird nests and breeding birds are protected by law. If you need to trim hedges check first for bird nests or signs of breeding birds and use hand tools instead of power tools until the end of the breeding (ideally the end of September).

• Leave an area of grass longer close to the pond to provide vegetation cover for amphibians and small mammals to safely access the pond. If you mow the grass take care to avoid killing or injuring amphibians sheltering in long vegetation. It is best to avoid mowing for a few weeks at this time of year to allow time for amphibians to disperse from ponds.

Foraging

• Cherries, cherry plum, meadowsweet, raspberry, redcurrant, blackthorn leaves, chickweed, common mallow, gooseberry, yarrow, chickweed, fennel, wild marjoram.