OUR gardening expert JOA GROWER offers summertime advice for gardeners to make the best of the longer days.
HERE we are, Summer at last. Way back in April I didn’t think it was ever going to stop raining! So, what do we need to get on with over the next few months? Well, by now all your vegetable plants will probably benefit from an extra feed to give them more strength to produce their crops. Organic feeds can be purchased from quite a lot of garden centres or DIY stores now and we (Growers Organics that is) certainly stock a few. Or you could be adventurous and make your own! Both comfrey and nettles make great liquid feeds. First get a large bucket or water barrel and fill it with either nettles or comfrey and then fill it to the top with water. Place a lid or a piece of wooden board on the top and leave it to stand for at least 2 weeks, then it’s ready to use. Be warned your mix will be very smelly and I would recommend that you wear rubber gloves when using it. Your homemade fertilizer is particularly great for your fruit bearing crops, so that of course includes tomatoes, peppers, aubergines etc. When you feed the tomatoes, always water them first before adding a liquid feed. If you don’t water first, the feed will just run straight through the dry pot and be wasted. Tomatoes will need to be tied up to stakes so they don’t keel over with all that lovely fruit. The fruit will start to turn red by the end of July. Keep taking out those side shoots too. These are the small shoots that appear just above the leaf; not the flower trusses, which you’ll see half way between each leaf. Potatoes will need to be earthed up to increase the crop. If they’ve got blight you must take off all the affected leaves (this goes for tomatoes also). Burn the leaves or get rid of them, but don’t put them in your compost heap, or it will spread. Brassicas (summer cabbages, kales, kohl rabi, cauliflower and calabrese) are most in danger from the Cabbage White butterflies. So if you see them hanging around your crop, check to see if they have laid their eggs on the underside of the brassica leaves and, if so, remove them as soon as possible. Else they will hatch into masses of tiny caterpillars, who will in no time strip your plants bare! We always net our brassica crops to keep the Cabbage Whites out. While protecting your Summer brassicas, you could start thinking ahead to your winter brassicas, (winter cabbages, kale and purple sprouting). Plan ahead where you want them to go and start clearing those beds in preparation. They can be planted from as early as July onwards, so get them in as soon as you’ve got the space. If you’re buying your plants from us at market or from the nursery, don’t worry we’ll have them ready for you in time! Don’t forget that the brassicas need plenty of space between them (about 30-45cm) as they’ll grow quite big. You can always plant some quicker growing crops in between them. Plants such as lettuces and kohl rabi will be harvested long before the larger brassicas are ready.
Seasonal squashes and courgettes
EARLY June is still okay for sowing or planting courgettes, cucumbers and squash seeds or even better to get a head start, purchase ready grown plants (we have quite a few different varieties.) Take care not to over water them at this stage and always water around the plants rather than directly onto the foliage. Start to apply an organic foliar feed when flowers and small fruits begin to appear. With courgettes try not to let the fruits get to big and pick regularly otherwise the courgettes will turn to marrows, which is fine if marrows are what you want! Winter squashes are a bit different. If you want to produce just a few large fruits, pinch the growing tip out when your plants has set about 6 small fruits. Otherwise just let them do there own thing and you should end up with an abundance of smaller squashes, just right for baking whole in the oven. After harvesting in the autumn leave them out in the sunshine to dry out properly before storing. Have fun in your vegetable garden and enjoy all the food you grow! And don’t forget the rubber gloves when handling the comfrey/nettle liquids!