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July on Your Plot

Now is the time to begin to harvest:

Courgettes, mustard seeds, ridge cucumber, peas, sweetcorn, French beans (dwarf), celery and garlic.

Stop watering onions .

Transplant kale to its final position.

Ensure fruit trees have plenty of moisture at their roots

Runner beans - water once a week if it doesn’t rain and water well.

Pick any early runner beans before the seed pods begin to bulge (or the skins toughen and get stringy). Pick them regularly to keep the beans coming.

Keep the plot well watered during hot sunny spells.

Avoid water on potato and tomato leaves to reduce the risk of blight at this time of year

Lift some potato plants, to gauge crop development.

Keep main crop potatoes well watered, as dry conditions reduce yield and potato size.

Plant potatoes now for Christmas crops!

Lettuces and other salad crops: succession sow more lettuce, rocket, land cress, corn salad, and other salad leaves for an ongoing supply in the autumn.

Harvest globe artichokes before scales open

Prune stone fruit trees (cherries, plums etc)

Sow overwinter crops such as Pak Choi, spring cabbage

Pick courgettes before they become cabbages

Lift and dry garlic once leaves start to turn yellow

Protect veg from carrot fly, flea beetle etc using fleece

Lift and dry onions and shallots once tops start to fall over - no need to wait for leaves to yellow

Prune trained apples and pears (such as step-over and cordon) to keep shape and let light and air in to the crop

Complete the June drop by thinning out apples to no more than 2 fruits per group