Page 36 - ALG Issue 2 2017

Regular
Seasonal jobs to do...
June, July & August
36
GENERAL
Keep a look out for late frosts; in some parts
of the country they can still pose a threat right
up until the end of June. Have plenty of eece protection ready to cover tender plants, seedlings and recent transplants. Continue with a regular
spraying programme to protect against aphids and fungus diseases. Continue with the earthing up of potatoes. Protect developing carrot crop against carrot root y with enviromesh. Thin out beetroot, carrots, lettuce and spinach; these can be used in salads. Keep training climbing beans and sweet peas against their supports. Pinch out tips of broad beans.
Everything on the allotment will be growing rapidly now so it is important to water all crops regularly to meet their demands. A good soaking is far better than the occasional dribble. It pays to add a liquid feed or crop booster such as seaweed to the water until the end of summer. Keep hoeing between crops to control weeds and conserve moisture.
GREENHOUSE
Management of the environment inside the greenhouse is critical over the next couple of months. Apply shading on the top and sides that are most exposed to the sun. Ventilate but also damp down the oor to prevent creating a
dry atmosphere. These are the perfect conditions for red spider mite. Avoid directly watering over crops on sunny days to prevent scorching the foliage and young fruits. Give some ventilation on warm nights.
OUTDOORS - SOW
Florence fennel, sugar loaf chicory and radicchio. Make a maincrop sowing of carrots to avoid
carrot root y attack. Sow the seed thinly and
keep the soil moist. Draw up soil over the tops of developing carrots to prevent them turning green; it
Irrigation Matters
There are many different types of irrigation that can really help over the summer months. Not only do gardeners have a long list of tasks to complete during summer, but water retention rates in the soil are also lower than in other seasons, meaning that we need some kind of irrigation help.
As pointed out in the May edition of the magazine last year, the most popular irrigation systems are:
Drip systems
Drip systems consist of a network of thin plastic pipes with nozzles located by the plants that need watering.
Seep hose and soaker hose
A seep hose has tiny holes along one side and a soaker hose is a porous pipe, plugged at the end, through which water passes as it ows; both of these can be attached to water butts and laid along or covered with a layer of mulch around the plants that need the water.
Capillary matting
This system uses a reservoir that feeds water to absorbent
JUNE
also helps to fool carrot root y.
Make successional sowings of beetroot, kohlrabi, lettuce
and spring onions to maintain a regular supply over the coming months.
PLANT
Courgettes, squashes, marrows, pumpkins, outdoor tomatoes, runner beans and sweetcorn. Brussel sprouts, sprouting broccoli, summer and winter cabbage, cauli owers, celeriac, celery and leeks.
FRUIT
Carry out regular inspections of top and soft fruit for pests and diseases. Spray aphids with an insecticidal soap and use an approved fungicide for use on edible crops to prevent mildew attacks. Remove strawberry runners.
Keep all soft fruit netted against birds and squirrels. Water newly planted fruit trees and bushes.
HARVEST
Broad beans, sprouting broccoli, young salads, early sown carrot
thinnings and Japanese onions. Last cutting of asparagus for 2017 should be on the 21st as
it is the longest day. Give the bed a top dressing of general fertiliser and mulch with manure or compost to build up crowns for next year.
matting using the action of gravity. The moisture is the permanently damp matting which is then soaked up by the compost in the pots that sit on top. A very simple system could be set up by sitting plants in a tray linked with matting and watering manually or a drip feed system could be set up attached to a reservoir.
Water spikes
There are a variety of water spikes available, from a simple spike that screws directly on, to a re-used plastic water bottle (up to 2 litres in size), to a more sophisticated version that has adjustable ow rates. These are probably most useful for watering whilst on holiday.
Clay pot irrigation
Clay pot irrigation uses the porous nature of clay pots called Ollas to allow osmotic pressure to suck the water into the soil where it is needed. The pots are buried up to their necks in the soil, kept topped up with water and the seedlings are planted around them; the roots will then wrap themselves around the pot and the water will seep out.