As we move into midsummer, there is still plenty of time to plant veggies, whether you’re ony just getting going or keen to add a few extras to plug any gaps and fill your plot. This guide takes you through the next few weeks, with ideas of what to plant and when to get them in the ground.
Midsummer is a good time to plant tomatoes outside if you don’t have a greenhouse or polytunnel – pinch them out regularly as they grow and pinch off the growing tip when plants reach chest height and they should produce a good crop for you. (If you’re already growing tomatoes in a greenhouse etc, you can let them get a bit taller before pinching off the growing tip!) Chillies can be planted in greenhouses very happily, producing a good crop in autumn.
Likewise, you can plant cucumbers in midsummer too, either in a sunny sheltered spot outside or in a greenhouse/polytunnel – pinch them out quite regularly as they grow to leave just a few flowers/fruits on each vine and you should get a few good sized fruits from each plant. The same goes for courgettes – just plant them outside and they will grow very quickly.
Leaves and lettuces are excellent for planting in late June and July – they grow quickly and if you treat them as cut and come again they will carry on cropping until autumn.
You can happily plant French beans, runner beans and borlotti now (midsummer) – they will grow quite quickly and will soon start to flower and produce their crop. We often find that French beans in particular do a bit better when planted out in midsummer as they do prefer the warmth of midsummer. Peas are quick growers and you can plant them in June/July for cropping in August/Early September.
Leeks can be planted out now for harvesting between late Autumn and over the winter. You can also plant out beetroot and carrots for an autumn crop (although we are very low on stock of these and they are only available in our Year Round Veg Patches and Summer Veg Patches, not as individual plants – sorry!)
June and July is a great time to plant all sorts of brassicas: Cabbages planted out in the next few weeks will be ready for harvesting in autumn, or can be left in the ground a little longer and harvested after the first few light frosts. Cavolo Nero, Red Russian Kale and Curly Kale will all grow quickly and you can expect to harvest leaves from them within 4-5 weeks of planting out right through autumn and they will probably keep on going through winter too! Brussels Sprouts can be planted in June and July for a Christmas harvest. You can plant Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Calabrese Broccoli in June or July for a mid-late autumn crop.
Herbs can be planted any time from now until August. We have a new batch coming through which should be ready to ship in early July. You can also plant potted fruit – we have some strawberries available and if they are planted in the next week or so you should get your first crop in July! Blackberry plants can be planted now, and you’ll get a good autumn crop from those.