5 gardening jobs for July.
For me, July is one of the busiest months of the year - the school year that is. Any of you who also work in education will know that this last month of the academic year is full of transitions, meetings, planning and juggling a huge ‘to do’ list before the summer break. Often I find that the allotment - apart from watering and weeding duties - takes a back seat until the start of the summer holidays when I can focus my attention back on the things that bring me joy. After the end of term crash that is! And with the extreme heat we’ve been having, I haven’t gone to the allotment much at all so far this month and I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of jobs that are mounting up on my allotment to do list! When I feel like this, I try and stick to my power hour/ three jobs at a time strategy - this is where I either crack on for a an hour at the allotment and get as much done in that hour as I can, or I pick 3 jobs on my to do list and get those done in the time I spend at the allotment. For me, which strategy I choose is dependent on my energy levels and how much time I have to spend up at the plot. But regardless of how much time you have to give over to gardening activities this month, there are some key jobs that you should prioritise to make sure your garden and plants stay in top shape!
Deadheading
Deadheading is the process of removing the dead flowers from plants to promote further growth and frequent blooms. If you leave flowers to die off the seed heads will begin to form and the plants will start to set seed. When this happens, it signals to the plant that it is time to focus on seed production and the plant shifts it’s energy into producing seeds for survival, rather than in producing more flowers. By deadheading, you are telling the plant that there is still time to send up more flower buds, therefore extending your flower displays in the garden or at the allotment. To dead head follow the stem of the dead flower down to the first natural branch of the main stem and snip the flower stem her just above the join. There might be some plants that you want to save seeds from, such as sweet peas, calendula or cosmos, and this can be done later in the season once the flowers have stopped blooming. We’ll cover some of the top tips for seed saving in a few months so be sure to check back for that one!
2. Water regularly
Summer is a time for watering more regularly, even without this insane heat that we have been having recently! While some plants don’t need watering as much as others, all of our plants will be needing some extra TLC and more frequent watering in the heat waves we are experiencing. Thirsty plants that need watering most frequently in the summer months include squash, pumpkins, celery, and other leafy greens such as chard and spinach. These will need to be watered t least 3 times a week, but will need more frequent watering in hot, dry spells such as the one we re in now. I’m watering these daily at the moment and adding an organic seaweed feed to the watering once a week. Cucumbers and courgettes also need almost daily watering, as do fruiting crops such as beans, peas and peppers, especially when they are about to fruit. Any small seedlings you are planting out this month will need a daily deep water to help them establish well, and anything growing in grow bags and pots will need to be watered daily, as well as any crops growing in greenhouses or polytunnels. Root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips don’t need watering as frequently so these can be done every few days.
Here are my top tips for watering in the hotter, summer months;
Water during the part of the day that is coolest - either first thing in the morning or late in the evening before dusk.
Water plants at the base of the plant, not overhead onto leaves to avoid plants being scorched or susceptible to fungal diseases.
Water deeply - this means watering a plant for around 20 seconds rather than a quick spray over the soil to ensure the roots get a good soaking.
Consider adding mulch to your beds to help retain moisture - woodchip is good for this and helps to deter slugs!
3. Harvest fruit and vegetables
After months of tending to our beloved plants, nurturing them and keeping them from being decimated by dreaded slugs, snails and pigeons, the time has come for us to start collecting our harvests. I love this time of year, when every evening, I take a trip to the natural supermarket that is my allotment to choose what we are going to have for dinner. Picking vegetables fresh for the evening meal is so immensely satisfying! Harvest fruit and vegetables regularly to encourage fresh growth and continue bountiful harvests.
4. Thin out heavy crops of apples
It’s not long to wait until apples will be ready to harvest and we’ll be carrying buckets and boxes of apples home from the plot. I love apple picking season - the beginnings of autumn and the endless recipes you can make with them - cider, juice, compotes, crumbles, pies and jams - the list goes on and on! But to ensure a healthy crop of apples, now is an opportune time to thin out heavy crops. At my plot, my apple tree alternates each year from a decent crop of apples, to a not so great one. This year is a decent crop year and already the branches are full of swelling apples, some of which are weighing down the thinner, weaker branches. Thinning apples is much the same as thinning out our root vegetables and involves taking some of the apples from large bunches of them away at this smaller growth stage to allow room for the other apples to grow. This also helps with air flow in between the fruits which helps to stop disease from setting in and spreading around the tree.
5. Enjoy your garden!
It can be so easy to get swept up in our to do lists and thinking of how many jobs we have to do in the garden or at the allotment. I don’t know about you but I often get so caught up in this that I forget to just sit and enjoy my space! The other day, I had prepped to do a full morning at the allotment so I took my breakfast with me so I could get a head start on the heat. I had every intention of wolfing down my yoghurt and granola quickly so I could crack on with everything I needed to do - after all, the to do list is never ending! But instead, I paused, mainly because I was picking some raspberries to add to my brekkie (which were so delicious I can’t even describe it!), and instead of quickly scoffing down my food, I decided to sit and enjoy a more leisurely breakfast, taking in the morning bird song, feeling the warm breeze on my face as I ate and looked over the rolling hills and forest that adorn the horizon from the allotments. It was glorious! And from that moment I made a decision that I will be taking more time to sit and enjoy the space - to read, to sit in the shade of the plum tree and enjoy a salad made from the literal fruits (well, vegetables actually) of my labour over the past months, to enjoy a cold drink in the balmy summer evening. We spend so much time creating these spaces and we must enjoy the nurturing joy that they bring us, the peaceful space we have created. So don’t forget to enjoy the garden!