Page 16 - ALG Issue 2 2018 html

Regular
Seasonal jobs to do...
June, July & August
16
GENERAL
Let’s hope that, after the ‘Beasts’ and ‘Pests’ of winter, we get the glorious summer that both we and the allotments deserve. But don’t get carried away just yet. There is still the threat of a late frost in some parts of the country; have some fleece
handy or prepare a frost protection programme to suit your site. The risk should have passed by late June, then it should be safe to push on with transplanting borderline hardy crops. Don’t overlook hardening off the plants over a couple of weeks. From now on watering the plot will become a more regular chore, and conserving precious water is a priority. Avoid spraying water over the foliage of vegetables because very little will reach the important root zone in the soil. Most of the water will evaporate and in sunny conditions the foliage could be scorched. Whether using a can or hose place the water under the foliage and over the roots. You will find yourself watering less often and the plants will produce bumper crops to thank you for it as well.
OUTSIDE
Hoe all over the plot at every opportunity to control weeds and conserve moisture. Continue earthing up potatoes. Pinch out tips of broad beans when in flower. Top dress with general fertiliser between rows and plants; avoid fertiliser coming into
contact with the foliage of crops to prevent scorch damage. Sow - Runner and French beans, beetroot, calabrese, carrots,
cauliflowers, chicory (wrinkled seeded), Chinese cabbage and other oriental vegetables, endive, Florence fennel, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, radish, radicchio, Swiss chard, turnips, sugar loaf chicory. Sow annual herbs. Make a maincrop sowing of carrots to avoid carrot root fly attack. Sow seed thinly, keep soil moist. Draw soil up over tops of roots to prevent them turning green - it also helps to fool carrot root fly. Continue with successional sowings of beetroot, kohlrabi, lettuce, spring onions, to maintain a regular summer supply. Thin out beetroot, carrots, lettuces, parsnips. Water along rows of seedlings to settle the soil around their roots.
Plant - Brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli, cabbage (summer & winter), cauliflowers, celeriac, celery, courgettes, squashes, marrows, pumpkins, sweetcorn, runner and French beans, leeks, outdoor tomatoes.
Fruit - Continue regular inspections of top and soft fruit for signs of pests and disease. Control aphids using an insecticidal soap
or insecticide approved for use on edible crops. Summer prune gooseberries, red and white currants at the end of the month.
Cut runners off strawberry plants unless they are wanted for propagating new plants. Only select from healthy virus-free plants. Net all fruit against birds and squirrels. Water newly planted fruit trees and bushes weekly to ensure establishment.
JUNE
Manage ventilation to keep greenhouse cool, damp down the floor to maintain humidity; outbreaks of red spider mites develop rapidly
in a dry atmosphere. Water and feed tomatoes, peppers and aubergines weekly with high potash
tomato feed. Snap out all side shoots on tomatoes before they are 5cms long.
HARVEST
Broad beans, peas, salads, carrot thinnings, Japanese onions, spinach, cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuces, spring onions and radishes for salads. Remember: Last cuttings of asparagus for 2018
is on 21st June, the longest day. Give the beds a
top dressing of general fertiliser, mulch with manure or compost to build up the crowns for the 2019 harvest.
PESTS & DISEASES
Blackfly on beans. Cabbage root fly attack. Carrot and onion fly. Slugs. In some areas first signs of potato blight.
GREENHOUSE