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What to do now - June
It's that time of year...
This year has been very different to other years. This spring has been the warmest and the driest in the UK for decades. Very different to last year when the cold, damp spring made it difficult to start our crops off and then, once they had, were largely attacked by slugs and snails.
But the dry weather brings problems of its own – the ground is harder dig and there is a need water established fruit trees and bushes, seedlings and small plants at a time when there is a greater need to conserve water. We should all stay mindful of ways in which we can reduce the quantity of water we use – e.g. through crop selection and mulches and seek to recover as much rainwater as possible.
Hopefully the recent (albeit light) rain is a signal that conditions are returning to normal and our crops will start to flourish. But those conditions will also encourage weed growth, so expect to weed, hoe and mulch our plots over the coming weeks for crops to thrive. The combination of summer weather and longer summer days provides opportunities to keep weeds at bay.
We’re reaching the time of year when we can start to reap the benefits of managing an allotment – time to start harvesting early vegetables and the first soft fruits of the year!
Remember to ventilate your greenhouse on warm days and consider using blinds/shades/fleece to avoid excessive temperatures, If you or neighbouring plot-holders are going on holiday then make arrangements to look after each other’s plots.
It can be a good time to share. If you have excess seedlings or spare produce, then consider exchanging those with fellow plot-holders – particularly any new members who may not have had an opportunity to fully cultivate their plots.
Allotment tasks
Sow Now
Salad vegetables, beetroot, carrots, cucumbers, peas, pumpkins and squashes, fruiting plants (peppers, tomatoes, aubergines). Plant out sweetcorn, brassicas and courgette seedlings.
Jobs
Pinch out growing tomatoes and broad beans. Inspect plants regularly - water and remove pests whenever necessary. Thin out directly seeded beds.
Harvest
Chard, French beans, garlic and onions (if leaves are turning pale), early potatoes.
Leaf Salad Crops
Salad crops develop quickly, and there are a wide variety – sorrel, lettuce, endive, kale, radicchio and mustard leaves - to suit various conditions.
They can be grown in seed drills, broadcast over an area of ground or grown in containers. Either way, they offer a fresh and tasty alternative to bags of supermarket salads.
As salad crops can outgrow weeds, watering and pests are the main concerns for salad growers. Watering every two days may be necessary during long dry spells if salad crops are grown in compost rich beds (daily watering may be necessary if they are grown in small pots).
Slugs are the main pest, and can be treated with pellets, nematodes, or regular picking off. Ants and aphids can also be a problem – ants can be kept in check if the surrounding soil is kept moist. Aphids can be squashed by hand if they are not tackled by ladybirds or beetles.
Regular collect leaves when they are ready to harvest. If leaves start to sag after harvesting they can be recovered by soaking in cold water.
Protect Winter Brassicas
A well planned plot will have some well-developed brassicas as we head towards winter: various types of kale, cabbage, sprouts and broccoli. Give them a helping hand by:
- Fitting mesh or netting to protect them from pigeons
- Stake out taller Brussels sprouts and broccoli plants
- Remove any yellow leaves to discourage white fly and improve air circulation
- Apply soft soap solutions to help protect against pests the following spring
Chitting Potatoes
February is time to prepare seed potatoes for planting by ‘chitting’ them – storing them in such a way that they start to sprout before being planted in the ground.
The potatoes should be spread out over a single layer in a cool, dry place which is free from the risk of frost. Large, unused egg boxes are ideal for this, allowing air circulation between each seed potato.
Ideally the storage area should be bright but the seed potatoes should be out of direct sunlight. After a few days the potatoes will then grow short stubby shoots which will help the potato plants to grow when they are planted out to get them off to a fast start when planted out. St Patrick’s Day is the traditional day of the year to plant potatoes.
There is some evidence that you can grow larger potatoes by breaking off the weaker shoots just before planting, leaving only the three or four stronger shoots to grow.