Chris Collins on…what to sow now
It’s been a tricky start to summer in the vegetable patch, with slugs and snails enjoying the wet weather. But in his latest blog, Chris shows you that it’s not too late to sow a fresh wave of crops
I always welcome July with open arms. The period between April and June is an intense time for work for me, with a steady flow of flower shows and events. But in July, I come up for air and concentrate on my own gardening spaces.
This year, like many gardeners, it’s been an extremely challenging time on both the allotment and the balcony. A very wet spring and continuously cool night temperatures have meant many plants have been late to get going.
On top of that some garden residents have had an absolute ball. Yes, it really has been the season of the slug and snail, or, as they were referred to by many people at Gardeners’ World Live in June - the ‘s word’!
The sheers numbers have made it difficult, and they seem to have been much more indiscriminate in what they attack. I’ve had quite sizable tomato plants completely stripped, which I have never seen before. My favourite example though is the six young runner bean plants, which I put on my balcony to harden off. Not only were they stripped bare, but this was undertaken by 30 snails. Considering I’m 10 metres up it's a good example of just how impactful this season of the ‘s’ creatures is!
Sow, sow and sow again 🔗
But now the sun has come out and the soil has warmed up – it’s not too late to sow another batch of seeds. I’m sowing new runner and climbing beans, sweetcorn, squash, pumpkin and courgettes in pots in the living room ready to go out.
I’ll also sow beets, radish, and salad crops direct in drills. I’m not saying everything will succeed but there are still four months left in this growing season. To add to success, I’ll be using seaweed extract and some ‘Bocking 14’ comfrey pellets, when the plants get bigger to boost growth. Careful watering will be backed up with my faithful tongs for any slugs and snails that are still on the munch! I’m determined to get some fresh organic food for my kitchen.
As well as resowing , keep your succession sowing going for the quicker growing crops. This is when you sow drills (lines of seed in open ground or a trough/container) at wider spacings than normal. This allows you to sow further drills in between the original sowings a few weeks later. The original sowing matures while a fresh crop is coming through, then you repeat - giving you a constant supply of edibles. You can also broadcast sow green manures in any open ground to keep unused soil protected.
Hedge your bets when it comes to planting edibles, and plant as many kinds as possible - as something will always come through the worst of the weather and pests.
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