Gardening in July…..

• Transplant your winter/spring flowering seedlings into modular seed trays, or growing on pots to keep them tidy and healthy.
• Dead-head bedding plants, shrubs (especially roses) and perennials to encourage further flowering.
• Use a spray of potassium bicarbonate on roses to control rust, black spot or mildew if you notice any symptoms.
• Sow Alyssum Saxatile ‘Golden Queen’, Campanula seeds, Coreopsis ‘Mardi Gras’, Delphinium ‘ magic fountains Mix and Pyrethrum seeds this month.
• Sow biennial foxglove seeds and Sweet William ‘Perfume Mix’ for planting out in autumn.
• Apply liquid feed to perennial plants now to encourage a fresh flush of growth.
• Remove any flower buds from your dahlia plants (called disbudding) below the main leading flower bud. This strengthens the stem and makes the remaining flowers noticeably larger.
• Pinch out chrysanthemum shoot tips in early July to encourage a branching habit and more blooms.

Vegetables in July

• Water your growing onions and shallots regularly to ensure you get a crop of larger bulbs with good flavour.
• Keep on top of weeds during July. They benefit from the longer daylight hours as well as your crops!
• Remove any side shoots from your tomato plants. Stop the plants when 4-5 trusses of fruit are present by nipping off the main growing tip. Feed your tomatoes regularly with organic tomato food. And don’t allow the soil to dry out or you run the risk of blossom end rot.
• Start harvesting your second early potatoes. Make sure the potatoes have developed into a good size before digging them all up by gently lifting one or two tubers to inspect. If they’re a bit on the small size, leave them a little longer, remembering to water regularly every week.
• Harvest beetroot and carrots while they’re young and tender.
• Carry on staggering your sowings of carrot seeds, lettuce and leaf seeds, and spinack seeds through the month.
• Sow spring-maturing cabbage seeds this month.
• Sow broad bean ‘The Sutton’ and dwarf French bean seeds until the middle of the month.
• Pick regular harvests of runner beans, French beans, and courgettes to encourage further cropping. Keep an eye on your courgettes and harvest before they grow into marrows.
• Plant out your pot-grown sweetcorn. It’s best to place the plants in blocks rather than rows, spacing them out about 45cm (18″) apart each way, to aid wind pollination.
• Take cuttings of herb plants such as thyme and sage using the fresh summer growth.