Jobs of the Month

July

So many things to do at this time of year!  It's a wonderful time to be on the plot. 

HARVESTING

Salad leaves and spring onions

Garlic

First Early Potatoes

Courgettes

Beetroot

Herbs (I totally recommend melting some butter in a frying pan and adding chopped garlic and thyme.  Scoop this up with some fresh crunchy bread and Mmm-mmm!! It is delish!)

SOW

Salad leaves and spring onions

Kale and purple sprouting brocolli

Parsnips

Beetroot can also be planted now although will need to be watered often as they don't like being dried to dust after they start to germinate. 

FRUIT

If you have been harvesting rhubarb quite hard this year you should stop harvesting now so the plant builds up its strength for next year.  If you've not taken a lot so far,  you should be able to have a few spare stems this month without doing any harm to the plant, especially if it's well established (over 3 years).

Gooseberries may be on their way out, (unless you like them soft, but let's face it who has left any on the bushes this long?) but raspberries and strawberries should be in full swing at this time of year.  Red and white currants are ready, although black currants ripen later in the year.


WATCH OUT FOR...

All sorts.. pigeons eating your fruit, rabbits eating.. everything. 

Planting flowers which attract ladybirds, such as cornflowers and calendula can help with so many critters such as black fly.  Also making a "tea" (not for human consumption) by soaking nettles in a bucket of water for two weeks and spraying this on your plants can help deter black fly, flea beetles and other bugs that like to eat your plants before you can harvest their gifts.  (Thank you to one of our plot holders for that piece of advice.)

Also watch out for lack of rain.  A good soaking from a watering can is much better for plants root development than a regular sprinkle on the surface which not only evaporates quickly, but encourages root development near the surface.  If a plant has a deep root system it has access to soil which has a more constant temperature and moisture and also where there is more worm, bug, bacteria and fungus activity.

THINKING AHEAD:

Remember to take time to enjoy now, we don't always have to be planning for the next stage in case we miss what we worked for yesterday.

Saying that, there's always weeding to be done and grass to cut and flowers to dead-head and comfrey tea to be made and netting to check and cakes to eat...