What to sow & do in a July kitchen garden
There’s so much to sow, do and pick in a July kitchen garden. This month is when all the hard work gardening in late winter and spring truly starts to pay off.
There are plenty of seeds to get started off, including some successional sowings for more late summer food, plus other new seeds for further down the line. This is good news for anyone who wants to begin a new edible garden right now, it certainly isn’t too late.
The plant care to-do list is also extensive this month, especially keeping on top of the watering and pest control. It’s worth it for the extra crops it will provide.
My July kitchen garden diary
We’ve had a mixture of sunshine and showers, and a thunderstorm or two here. It’s been a bit colder than usual, but the garden is starting to be more productive now.
I think some of the plants are four or more weeks behind where they’d normally be, but we’re getting plenty of lettuces, rocket, strawberries and herbs at the moment. We harvested the cherries on our tree at the end of June, and we’re still picking the occasional bit of rhubarb as it was so late getting started.
Our peas and beans are growing properly now, and the courgettes are more established and giving us baby veg. I’m keeping an eye on the cucumber and tomato plants, tying them in as they grow, and keeping them happy with a little liquid feed every now and again.
Here are the main things to sow and do in a kitchen garden or on your allotment this July. It’s a busy month:
What to sow in July
Some of my favourite places to get seeds and small plants include:
- Dobies – great seed catalogue from long-established company
- Marshalls Garden – good variety of seedlings and plants
- RHS – good for ‘Garden Merit’ tried and tested varieties
- Suttons – lots of 99p seeds and handy advice for beginners
- Thompson & Morgan – all kinds of seeds, strawberry plants, fruit bushes etc
- Wilko – the bargain seeds are back, plus lots of multi-buy offers
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There’s still plenty to sow this month – have a look at all these seeds:
- Beetroot (last chance)
- Calabrese
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Chard
- Chicory
- Chinese cabbage
- Endive
- Florence fennel (vegetable)
- Kohl rabi
- Leaf beet (perpetual spinach)
- Lettuce & other salad leaves
- Maincrop potatoes (last chance)
- Pak choi and choy sum
- Peas (last chance)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach (long day types)
- Spring onions
- Swede (last chance, early July)
- Turnip
AND: Sow these now for winter crops
- Kale
- Spring cabbage
- Winter radishes
There are also some garden jobs to do in July to give you bigger and better crops. July is when most kitchen gardens really get into their stride, so there’s lots to pick and look after this month.
Garden jobs to do in July
There’s plenty to be getting on with right now. Have a look at this handy checklist:
1. Planting out in July
- Last chance to plant out baby leeks
- Maincrop potato & sweet potato tubers
- New strawberry plants for next year’s crops
- Winter seedlings: endive, winter cabbage etc
2. Care of vegetables in July
- Check tomatoes & potatoes for blight
- Pinch out (‘stop’) outdoor cordon tomato tips once 3 – 5 trusses have fruit, and remove side shoots
- Pick beans, courgettes & cucumbers regularly
- Deadhead soft herbs & take cuttings of woody herbs
- Earth up potatoes & Jerusalem artichokes
- Stake/support large brassicas (sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts)
- Lift autumn-planted garlic
- Pinch out runner bean tips once they reach the top of their supports
- Protect vegetables from carrot root fly and cabbage butterflies
- Stake large brassicas on windy sites
- Top dress slow-growing vegetables with compost
3. Care of fruit in July
- Cut back dead strawberry leaves if fruiting is over
- Remove or propagate strawberry runners
- Thin tree fruits (last chance)
- Train or tie in fruit canes, vines & fan or espalier trees
4. Other garden jobs in July
- Collect seeds from annual and biennial herbs
- Collect seeds from companion plants such as marigolds and nasturtiums
5. General jobs to keep on top of
- Check crops for pests
- Feed plants with liquid feed every 7 – 14 days
- Pick ripe fruit, courgettes and beans regularly
- Protect fruit from birds
- Slug and snail protection
- Tie in plants as they grow
- Ventilate greenhouse or cloches
- Watering
- Weeding
Enjoying this article? You may also like:
- What to sow & do in a June kitchen garden
- British seasonal food in July (what to pick this month)
Are you growing any fruit, vegetables or herbs this season?
How’s your plot getting along?
