Page 20 - ALG Issue 2 2019

seasonal jobs to do...
VEGETABLES
• Autumn planted onions may be starting to ripen off; don’t bend the tops over, but allow them to fall over naturally as they dry. Once they are fully dry, lift and store somewhere dry and airy.
• Sweetcorn, started under protection, can now be thoroughly hardened off and planted out in milder areas early in the month, but for cooler areas, it will probably benefit more to wait until the middle of the month.
• In milder areas outdoor tomatoes can be planted in deep rich soil in as warm and sheltered a position as can be afforded and staked well.
• Continue to earth up potatoes.
• Sow onions direct for pickling.
• Finish harvesting asparagus towards the middle of the month at the latest, then feed and mulch the plants well and allow them the time to rest. See that the crown doesn’t want for water during dry spells.
• Sow maincrop carrots.
• Tip out broad beans if not already
done so to lessen blackfly attacks. • Keep sowing successional salad
crops. If possible, use a cooler/ shadier part of your plot; it will lessen the chance of plants bolting before they are ready.
• Plant out courgettes, marrows, squashes pumpkins etc.
• If not done so already, sow chicory for winter forcing.
• Ensure peas all have sufficient stakes, canes or netting for support.
June
SOW NOW FRUIT
ONIONS, CARROTS, SALAD CROPS, CHICORY
• Give strawberry beds a tidy over – ensure they are all well mulched down with straw or similar in readiness. Remove all runners that are thin and weak. If you wish to increase your plant numbers allow one or two good strong runners per plant to either be pegged down to the ground to root, or pegged into a small pot of compost. Once rooted these can be severed and planted elsewhere. Only use the healthiest
July
VEGETABLES
• Where soil is moist, a liquid feed can be used quite freely on most crops. This can be a proprietary feed from the gardening centre or homemade from nettles, comfrey etc. I personally like to make up liquid feed in large barrels or tanks filled with water, then drop in a hessian sack or similar of manure (horse, cow, sheep etc.); after a few weeks of soaking this can be diluted down and applied.
• Shallots should be lifted as they mature. Ensure the foliage has
completely died down first, or if rain is forecast lift and finish the drying process in a greenhouse or frame where they can be kept dry but well ventilated.
• A last sowing of dwarf French beans can be made early in the month for a September harvest.
• Sow and plant brassicas for
winter and spring harvests. Spring cabbages, sprouting broccoli etc. all make good harvest early in the year when there is little other fresh produce to be had. These should be planted out into firm soil as soon as
SOW NOW
DWARF FRENCH BEANS, SPRING CABBAGES, SPROUTING BROCCOLI, LETTUCE, RADISH, SPRING ONIONS
they are ready.
• Keep sowing small batches of
salad crops such as lettuce, radish, spring onions etc. Choose either
a heat tolerant variety, or ideally plant in a cool, slightly shaded part of the plot. For summer crops I use the north-facing bed of the walled garden.
• As crops like early peas and broad beans come to an end, remove these, lightly cultivate the area, and where possible use the space for a late or catch crop.
• Give onions a light feed of pelleted poultry manure or similar and lightly hoe in.
VEGETABLES
August
• Plant out remainder of spring brassicas, and make sure that established sprouts and kale have a little soil drawn up around the base of the stem and well firmed in to prevent damage from winter winds. Alternatively, use a single stake or thick cane per stem and tie up.
• Feed asparagus beds then support the top growth.
• Check over autumn planted onions in storage, they never tend to store as well as maincrops, and it pays to watch for any early signs of rot.
• Harvest second early potatoes as required.
20 Allotment and Leisure Gardener