August springing

Spring is just around the corner. It is time to prepare gardens for spring vegetables.

What to do in August

Dig and enrich new beds.
Add improvements to soil, especially lime.
Water regularly in dry weather.
Keep ground well mulched. Sow green manures in between crops.
Harvest winter vegetables.
Prepare beds for summer crops: add compost if you didn't last month and enrich the topsoil with dry fertilisers such as bone, hoof and horn meal or a balanced organic fertiliser.
Continue planting summer seedlings and sowing summer seeds directly.Continue sowing in seed trays indoors.

Keeping busy in July

July is the time for cauliflower, peas, broccoli, broad beans and kale. Winter soups and slow cooked stews.  It is also time to look at your garden and see what you want to change and start preparing it for the burst of spring activity.

What to do in July

Continue with all of June's tasks if you didn't get around to them last month.
Keep ground well mulched.
Clean and prepare seed trays and modules.
Plan your spring and summer planting.
Mix seedling soil ready for next month.
Cover all beds with a layer of compost.
Continue harvesting Brassicas. Pull out the stumps of the plants and compost.
In frost free areas, continue feeding flowering and fruiting vegetables with potassium rich organic fertilisers.
Water regularly in dry weather.
Warmer areas can start planting summer seedlings and sowing summer seeds directly. In frost areas sow seeds in trays and keep them indoors until at least a week after the last frost 

June Chill

The slow winter vegetables are growing bigger and there is not that much to do in the garden.Perfect time to make structural changes, build a tripod or create a new bed.

What to do in June

Although it is too cold in most areas to sow seeds, there are still seedlings such as lettuce, bok choy, broad beans, kale and spinach available at nurseries.

if you sowed brassicas early, you wil be harvesting them now. Pull out the stumps of the plants and compost.

In warm, frost free areas, continue feeding flowering and fruiting vegetables with potassium rich organic fertilisers

Keep ground well mulched.

Support broad beans

Collect horse manure and put it in a pile to compost.

Build tripods and make structural changes to your garden.

Spring clean your garden shed

Clean, sharpen and oil all your tools.

Water regularly in dry weather.

May Harvest

The summer vegetables are almost gone and it is time to harvest walnuts, Jerusalem artichokes and horse radish. 

What to do in May

Every four weeks, give brassicas a small side dressing of granular organic fertiliser.

Add well composted manure to beds.

In warm, frost free areas, liquid feed and side dress flowering and fruiting vegetables with potassium rich organic fertilisers.

Regularly foliar feed all vegetables with seaweed.

Keep ground well mulched. Slash down any green manures which are ready.

Keep an eye on Brassicas. As soon as they begin to form heads, stop feeding, except for broccoli: continue to feed after harvesting first head. Cover cauliflower heads.

Support peas.

Water regularly in dry weather.

April action

April is a great time to be busy in the garden, not too hot and not too cold.

What to do in April

Clear the last of the summer vegetables.

Harvest potatoes

Transplant winter seedlings and mulch them.

Sow cover crops in areas you won't be planting.

Keep ground well mulched. Slash down any green manures which are ready.

Continue feeding Brassicas and foliar spraying with seaweed.

In warm, frost free areas, regularly foliar spray seedlings with seaweed and continue sowing warm season crops.

Water regularly in dry weather.

March transition

Autumn arrives this month.

What to do in March

Deciduous trees are losing their leaves. Gather them into a pile and let them rot into nutritious leaf mould

If you haven't started sowing winter seeds - get going. 

Continue feeding summer fruiting plants (eggplant, squash, tomatoes)with high potassium organic fertiliser. Pull out any mildewed or weak plants and replace with radish, lettuce, beetroot and Asian greens

Feed all brassica seedlings with a balanced organic fertiliser

In warm weather areas, continue sowing warm weather crops

Sow green manure crops in between seedlings

February flavour

Summer is breathing its last

What to do in February

 February is hot month, so make sure your vegetables receive sufficient water. It is also a busy harvesting month with everything ripening quickly in the late summer sun. Salad greens, squash, beans and tomatoes can be harvested daily.

Sow short season summer crops, winter seeds and seedlings. Seeds and seedlings will appreciate extra protection from the sun.

Regularly foliar spray all vegetables, particularly curcubits and tomatoes, with seaweed.

Watch for vegetables and herbs going to seed. Gather seeds before they fall or leave to self-sow.

In hot dry weather, look out for red spider mite. January bounty

January bounty

and its time to harvest.

What to do in January

If you went away over the holidays your garden could be running a little wild. It is time to trim, cut and tidy. Cut back flowering herbs - it will encourage them to grow more leaves.

Sow last of the short season summer crops.

Start sowing winter seeds and seedlings.
Liquid feed and side dress flowering vegetables with potassium rich organic fertilisers.

Regularly foliar spray all vegetables, particularly curcubits and tomatoes, with seaweed.

Keep ground well mulched.

Sow green manure crops in between seedlings.

Continue trellising tomatoes and winding gemsquash and butternut up tripods.

Regularly harvest  whatever is ripe, particularly beans, tomatoes and squash.

Beans might attract aphids, if they are not too excessive, leave them. They won't harm the beans that have already developed and they will attract ladybirds. If new growth on the beans is thick with aphids,  squirt them off with a blast of water.

If there is excessive rain in summer rainfall areas, keep an eye out for mildew. Cut off affected leaves and spray with an organic fungicide. Spray underneath the leaves too. Rambling squashes tend to develop mildew on their older leaves first. As long as there is good new growth happening, they don't mind these older leaves being trimmed off. This also clears out space for another plant

Dry summer areas, water regularly.

December heat

and its holiday time

What to do in December

With the start of the holiday season, December is a busy month. It is also a month when many crops are bearing abundantly. Harvest regularly and preferably early in the morning.

Continue sowing summer crops and seedlings. Direct sow quick bolting crops, such as lettuce, in a position with afternoon shade. Keep soil moist and harvest when young.

Regularly foliar spray vegetables with seaweed spray. This quickly corrects nutrient deficiencies and helps prevent fungal diseases. Feed fruiting vegetables with potassium-rich organic fertiliser. Side dress fast growing heavy feeders with liquid organic fertiliser.

During hot, dry weather, plants close stomata to minimise moisture loss. If plants are wilted in the middle of the day, don’t worry about it. If they are wilted in the morning, it is time to water. Water early in the morning to help plants through the heat of the day. Keep ground well mulched.

Continue tying tomatoes to their supports and winding gemsquash and butternut up tripods.

November rain . . .

and everything is growing . . .

What to do in November

Watch out for weeds, with the increased moisture and heat they will thrive. Get them out early before they spread or set seed.

Continue direct sowing summer crops and transplanting seedlings.

Keep ground well mulched. Sow green manures in between crops. Slash green manures which are ready.

Regularly foliar spray all vegetables with seaweed. Feed all fruiting vegetables with potassium rich fertiliser. Side dress quick growing heavy feeders with liquid fertiliser.

Tie tomatoes to their  supports and wind gemsquash and butternut up tripods. Earth up potatoes using tires.

Harvest beetroot, early beans, onions, lettuce, greens, herbs and whatever else is ready. Fill any gaps with quick growing summer crops. Most herbs are really starting to flourish, so cut them and use them. They will keep growing back.

Water during dry spells. In wet weather watch out for snails.

October and it's Warming up

The days are becoming longer and all danger of frost is past. Get planting!

What to do in October

Continue direct sowing summer crops and transplanting seedlings.Continue sowing seeds in seed trays.

Keep ground well mulched. Cover all beds with compost if you didn't already do that last month.

Sow green manures in between crops. Slash green manures which are ready.

Regularly foliar spray all vegetables with seaweed. Side dress quick growing heavy feeders with liquid fertiliser. Side dress flowering vegetables (such as tomatoes) with a high potassium dry organic feed. Talborne Vita-Fruit Flower ( 3:1:5) is ideal.

Water regularly in dry weather, water deeply early in the morning.

As growth picks up, look out for weeds and clear them while they are still small

As the weather warms up, watch out for aphids. In wet weather watch out for snails.

September and Spring is here!

It is time to dust off the wellies and get out into the garden. In case you hadn't noticed, slugs and snails are waking up and starting to look lively. It's time for us to do the same.

What to do in September

If you haven't got around to trimming your perennial shrubs, such as sage, lavender, artemisia and lemon verbena, then do it now.
Harvest the last of the winter vegetables.
Continue  direct sowing summer crops and transplanting seedlings.
Continue sowing in seed trays, which can be done outdoors after the lost frost is over.
Keep ground well mulched.

Sow green manures in between crops.

Regularly foliar spray all vegetables with seaweed.

Water regularly in dry weather.