JOBS TO DO IN JULY

IN THE GREENHOUSE

Watering
All potted plants need a daily check for watering. Add a full-strength liquid feed once a fortnight or a dilute one more regularly.

Ventilation
A protective shield against the sun might be a good idea this month. Whitewash of shade netting will do. Open ventilators and doors every morning, but close them again on cool evenings. Do check that birds or cats aren’t getting locked in overnight, use netting to keep them out if necessary.

Growing bags
Never let crops in growing bags go short of water. Standing the bags on gravel trays or on reservoirs with wicks through the base can prevent drying out. I used to cut holes in the bottom of the bags in the polythene tunnel so the roots could spread out into the soil if necessary.

Glasshouse pests
Biological pest control can be used at this time of year against whitefly and red spider mite.

Cuttings
Pot on rooted cuttings of pelargoniums, fuchsias and other plants as soon as the roots have filled their pots. Take cuttings from the non-flowering shoots of shrubs and climbers.

KITCHEN GARDEN

Fan-trained fruit
Unwanted shoots should be cut off plums and apricots to maintain the fan shape. With figs, prune out the tips of any unwanted sideshoots after the fifth leaf, or remove them completely.

HERBS
Woody stemmed herbs such as sage and thyme produce lots of fresh healthy new shoots at this time of year, which will quickly root if taken as cuttings. We had a lemon balm plant outsaide of the back door that was getting far too big for its site. We cut the plant right back only two weeks ago ant the plant has made a full recovery and is being very well behaved and compact.

HARVESTING
Harvest beetroot and other crops while they are still young and tender. Early potatoes will be ready to harvest soon,. Check one plant first to assess the crop size. Leave them to develop further if the potatoes are too small, and water the rows every week. Check for the dreaded blight, I have already heard of one disaster on in the area, even though they sprayed with copper sulphate.

FRUIT CROPS
Enjoy the fruits of your labours by picking rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries and gooseberries. Remember that if you do net fruit bushes to keep birds away, check the netting daily to ensure that no birds have become trapped.

SWEETCORN
Plant out pot-grown sweet corn. Place the plants in blocks, not rows, spacing them out about 45cm (18in) apart each way. We mad the mistake of planting out our seeds directly in to the soil early on in the season. The result is that we have no corn plants this year!

SEED SOWING
The following vegetable crops can be sown directly outside now if you are quick: lettuce and salad leaves, radishes, kohl rabi, spring cabbage and endive, plus dwarf French beans for a late crop. Winter spinach can be sown from July to September.
Above all remember to take things easy this month. You do not want to break out into a sweat!

Horticultural.

MILK SPRAY

How is your garden after the relentless heat of the last couple of weeks? Maybe you have a small enough garden to water frequently. If not in drought conditions you will need to look out for vulnerable plants that will suffer. Don’t worry too much about the grass though, that can stand the dry and will soon pick up like magic after a good downpour. Remember to really soak your containers and baskets too. If they have dried out then you will be as well off soaking them in a bucket of tepid water, dip your feet in whilst you are at it.

MILK SPRAY

Can you use milk to clean leaves? RB by e-mail

Reply.
Milk is good for cleaning the leaves of houseplants such as the cheese plant. It is far more versatile than that though. You can spray milk on to apples and lettuce to control mildew. For large areas, dilute one part milk to nine parts of water, unless it is skimmed milk then it’s practically all water anyway! The other idea is to dissolve 1lb (450g) of dried milk into a little hot water and then add 1 gallon (4litres) of cold water. Spray on to tomatoes and cucumbers when planting and then every ten days

Horticultural.