July tends to be warm and dry and watering our plants is a necessity. It is worth covering flower and vegetable beds with a layer of mulch to keep moisture in and deter slugs and snails. It is also the perfect time for sowing seeds as temperatures are much warmer, offering a better chance of germination. You can also extend the season with successional sowings of crops and now is the perfect time to think about autumn sowings.
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* Top tip – Now is the time to lift those early potatoes out of the ground now, they do not store as well as the maincrop varieties, but they will store until finished.
July Jobs
- Dwarf French Beans: Now is the last chance to sow French beans giving them enough time to develop pods before the first frosts. Sow smaller dwarf varieties in the ground or in pots and keep well-watered. Sow 5cm deep and 10cm apart and water well, harvest in 8-12 weeks when pods are 10-15cm long until the first frosts. Green varieties include: Tendergreen, Masterpiece, Stanley, Purple Teepee or Purple Queen.
- Marrows – These can be directly sown now and are typically a courgette that is left to grow but there are specific varieties. They are grown in the same way, but you just have 4 fruits per plant. They are hungry and need a lot of water and feeding with tomato feed once fruit have appeared. They must be sown with their thin side vertically to prevent rotting and allow 90cm (3ft) between each plant and take up to 4 months to mature. Bush varieties include Badger Cross, Bush Baby, Tiger Cross or a trailing variety called Long Green.
- Spring Cabbage – These form small pointy heads and can include crinkly savoy and smooth drumhead and purple varieties. These can be directly sown outside in a weed free bed. Make a drill 2cm deep and sprinkle the seeds thinly along it. Then water in lightly to settle seed, don’t forget to protect seedlings from birds and caterpillars once they appear. Alternatively, they can be sown in pots this month and planted out in September/October to slowly grow over winter for spring harvesting. Ideal varieties in Harbinger, Durham Early, Offenham, Wheelers Imperial, Spring Heroe F1.
* Top tip – When sowing seeds, water the drill well before sowing, and this will stop the seeds from scattering when watered finely from above.
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Carrots – These usually take 10-12 weeks to grow until they are ready to eat, and July is the last month to sow before the frosts. Sow direct and thinly into shallow drills of well-prepared soil or in pots of soil-based compost. Try to avoid thinning seedlings to prevent carrot fly and they are best sown in sandy soils, but sand helps improve heavier soils and is just as good. Varieties that can be sown now are Amsterdam Forcing, Autumn King, Early Nantes, Nairobi F1, Purple Sun.
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Kohl Rabi: July is the last opportunity to sow this vegetable. It offers a flavour between cabbage, turnip, and celery. It is very tolerant of poor soil and dry weather but must be harvested when the bulb is the size of small tennis ball, or it becomes too tough to eat. Sow directly into the soil at 1cm deep in rows 30cm apart, thin to about 8cm apart in pot growing and harvest after 8-10 weeks. Bulbs can be eaten raw or grated in salads but are perfect with a buttery sauce. Varieties include Ballot F1, Purple Delicacy, Korfu F1, Kolibri F1, Lanro
* Top tip – Don’t forget to stop cordon tomatoes by removing the main shoot once it has reached the top of the greenhouse, this is usually above the fourth truss (developing fruit). Ensuring the best possible crop.
* Now Reduced – Don’t forget to protect your hands when sowing and planting seeds. Available in 5 exquisite designs including stylish Red Tweed, Grey Tweed, Artisan, Berry, & Oak Leaf Poppy. For some stylish comfortable and durable gardening gloves Visit My Shop or click on the picture for different coloured garden gloves – A perfect gift to protect your hands.
Harvest & Vegetable Storing Ideas
There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the rewards of all your hard work sowing crops. Most vegetables can be preserved in a range of different ways, not only will your shelves and freezer be stocked up, but summer food will be available to enjoy during the winter months. Here are some tips for taking full advantage of your hard work:
