July is when all the hard work gardening in late winter and spring truly starts to pay off – there’s so much to pick right now! It’s not all about the harvesting though as there are still plenty of seeds to get started, including some successional sowings for more late summer food and other new seeds for further down the line. This is good news for anyone who wants to start an edible garden right now, it certainly isn’t too late to begin one.

The plant care to-do list is also extensive this month, especially keeping on top of the watering and pest control, but it’s worth it for the extra crops it will provide.

Here are the main things to sow and do in a kitchen garden or on your allotment this July. It’s a busy month:

What to sow in July

· Beetroot (last chance)
· Calabrese
· Carrots
· Cauliflower
· Chard
· Chicory
· Chinese cabbage
· Endive
· Florence fennel (vegetable)
· Kohl rabi
· Leaf beet (perpetual spinach)
· Lettuce & other salad leaves
· Maincrop potatoes (last chance)
· Pak choi and choy sum
· Peas (last chance)
· Radish
· Rocket
· Spinach (long day types)
· Spring onions
· Swede (last chance, early July)
· Turnip

Sow these now for winter crops

· Kale
· Spring cabbage
· Winter radishes

There are also some garden jobs to do in July to give you bigger and better crops. July is when most kitchen gardens really get into their stride, so there’s lots to pick and look after this month.

Planting out in July

· Last chance to plant out baby leeks
· Maincrop potato & sweet potato tubers
· New strawberry plants for next year’s crops
· Winter seedlings: endive, winter cabbage etc

Care of vegetables in July

· Check tomatoes & potatoes for blight
· Pinch out (‘stop’) outdoor cordon tomato tips once 3 – 5 trusses have fruit, and remove side shoots
· Pick beans, courgettes & cucumbers regularly
· Deadhead soft herbs & take cuttings of woody herbs
· Earth up large brassicas (sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts)
· Lift autumn-planted garlic
· Pinch out runner bean tips once they reach the top of their supports
· Protect vegetables from carrot root fly and cabbage butterflies
· Stake large brassicas on windy sites
· Top dress slow-growing vegetables with compost

Care of fruit in July

· Cut back dead strawberry leaves if fruiting is over
· Remove or propagate strawberry runners
· Thin tree fruits (last chance)
· Train or tie in fruit canes, vines & fan or espalier trees

Other garden jobs in July

· Collect seed from annual and biennial herbs

Jobs to keep on top of in July

· Check crops for pests
· Earth up potatoes & Jerusalem artichokes
· Feed plants with liquid feed every 7 – 14 days
· Pick ripe fruit, courgettes and beans regularly
· Protect fruit from birds
· Slug and snail protection
· Tie in plants as they grow
· Ventilate greenhouse or cloche
· Watering
· Weeding

Are you growing any fruit, vegetables and herbs this season? How’s your plot getting along?