It has been a blisteringly hot week! With summer in full swing, there is lots to do in the vegetable plot. There should be plenty to harvest and as you clear the ground of one crop you can sow or plant something else. There is still time to sow fast-growing crops such as radish, turnips, lettuce, annual herbs and many more and now is the right time to sow Oriental vegetables, winter radish and fennel.
However, with gardens very dry and hot, it is best to wait until the ground is moist before any sowing and planting. Use water wisely and direct it to where it is needed. When planting, dig the hole, soak it, soak the plant, plant it and water and water daily. As seeds germinate, they must never dry out and that means watering at least every day in these conditions. It is better to wait until we get some wetter weather if you can. But if you have plenty of water in your water butts and you can keep small patches moist then go ahead.
As you clear the soil, remove all weeds, lightly fork the soil and add some general fertiliser. Weeding is a constant job although, in dry weather, weed seeds should not be germinating as prolifically. But do not let weeds flower and set seed. The old adage ‘one year’s weeding – seven year’s weeding’ is spot on.
One of the jobs that needs constant attention is checking for cabbage white butterfly caterpillars. The large white butterflies lay eggs in clusters on the underside of the leaves so check them frequently and rub off the eggs or remove the affected leaf. Small white butterflies lay individual eggs.
You must continue to watch out for snails and slugs which can quickly ruin crops. Slugs, in particular, will crawl into lettuce and cabbages and live there, munching on the leaves.
It is time to harvest early potatoes. As soon as they flower you can have a dig and see how advanced the crop is and if the leaves are starting to die down you can be sure you can lift them. If you lift them as you need them it will help prevent the skins ‘setting’ but with the warm temperatures and dry conditions this summer you may find that the tubers are smaller than usual and with set skins.
If there is any sign of blight you must lift the plants as soon as possible. Main crop potatoes are otherwise dug in September and October.
Courgettes are probably in full flood now. The fruits grow incredibly quickly. Pick them soon after the flowers open, when the courgettes are a few days old. That way you will be eating them when they are small and tender and delicious and you will prevent being left with huge fruits that no one wants.
Carrots can be a challenge to grow. My soil is on the heavy side and, with the garden being surrounded with fields and hedgerows packed with cow parsley, carrot fly is an issue. But this year I am growing them in raised beds in soil improved with plenty of grit and compost and they look good so far. I am alternating rows with nigella and viscera for some colour and topped up gaps in the rows with more seed. These will provide some later crops.
Tomatoes need constant attention. Make sure they do not dry out, if growing in pots, and feed them at least once a week. Make sure you remove the sideshoots as they appear and support the plants. There is no need to remove the lower leaves unless they start to turn yellow at this stage because it is warmth and not direct sunlight, that ripens the fruits.