July

As I write this towards the end of June, the temperature is exceeding 25 degrees and there can be few excuses for staying indoors for very long – other than the fact it’s a little too hot, and the pollen count is murderously high. I am a hay fever sufferer and am indeed suffering somewhat now…but I don’t like to complain too much. (Having said that, reviewing this just a week or so later, my hay fever is significantly better; it seems that the grass has finished its seeding, and has stopped releasing pollen into the air. Whatever the reason, both Gaby and I are very happy about it (Gaby because I’ve stopped snoring at night)).

The allotment is going quite well now, with few bare patches and mostly verdant stripes and rows of veg. Things do seem rather late this year, and the few first early potato plants I dug up were somewhat disappointing in mid-June; so I’ve left them for a few more weeks to see if they bulk up much (re-reading this a fortnight later, they haven’t been too bad after all). They’ll need heavy watering about once weekly to help swell the tubers – but note that maincrop spuds only really need watering once they flower. As with pretty much any deep-rooted veg, one should only water – well – once a week. Shallow, regular watering does the plants a lot of harm by discouraging them from extending their roots deeply in search of water – leading to weaker root systems and more vulnerable plants.

 Most veg should be growing well now, and will hopefully be providing a ‘living mulch’ – i.e. shading sufficient amounts of the soil to prevent most weed seeds from germinating. Onions can’t do this as their leaves are too narrow – but most other plants will help you along in fighting the weeds once they’re established. Keep hoeing everywhere regularly, and watering well - but just once weekly - in dry weather.  If you have any compost going, spread it between rows of veg to give them some nutrients, cool the soil, help retain moisture and keep down weeds. 

Hoeing is excellent for breaking up the capillaries in the soil which lead to water loss. In fact the ancient Mesopotamians, who were among the first ever farmers (and brewers – as beer is acidic so keeps down bacteria), used to plough their fields simply to do this and reduce the amount of watering they needed to do. The saying goes that ‘a hoe is the same as a shower’.

Anything ‘fruiting’ needs more water to swell the ‘fruits’ – this ranges from tomato plants to cucurbits (cukes, squash, courgettes and so on); fruit bushes; potatoes (which only need water once the flowers have come – indicating that the tubers are growing under the ground); beans and probably much more that doesn’t come to mind now. Carrots and parsnips don’t need much water at all – they should only be watered well weekly or fortnightly during very dry spells to prevent them splitting when heavy rain does eventually come (when they can split due to rapid expansion after taking on too much water). 

You are just about in time to sow carrots and beetroot in early July, but need to get a move on. Try to remember to leave a little spare space for leeks, which need replanting now. Leeks are a brilliant winter treat, with the wonderful advantage of requiring very little cleaning (as compared to root veg which will be almost prohibitively muddy once wet weather sets in).

To move leeks on, dig them out in early July, and dib a 6-inch hole, 6 inches apart in the rows and between the rows, then just put the leek plantlet into the hole. I use an old spade handle to make the hole, which works very well. Water in well but don’t push earth into the hole – and don’t allow soil over the lower leaf joint at any time, or the leeks will be gritty. Water well for a week after planting to establish them well, and feed with a general purpose fertiliser every so often, but not after October if you are planning to leave them in ground all winter.

 I did need to use ‘proper’ poison at home, though, to kill off a wasps’ nest under the gutter of our house. I got fully kitted up (see pic, left) and waited till nightfall to spray them. Luckily I didn’t get attacked by a single wasp, making my outfit look somewhat ridiculous. An ounce of prevention is better than a, erm, pound of cure though…or something along those lines.

Back to the vet: you can still sow lettuce now, but choose a shady place, possibly behind a tall-growing plant, to slow down their growth and hopefully prevent them from setting seed.

Beer brewing went well enough, and I ended up with about 25 bottles of dark ale. It’s very useful for giving to friends, neighbours, and anyone on building sites I scrounge timber from.

That’s about it for now. July onwards is mostly a time for picking galore and showing off to your friends about how well you’ve done. Enjoy the – quite literal – hard-earned fruits of your labour.

All the best,

Alexei

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