In The Garden – July and August

Sowing
In July and August I will keep on sowing lettuces and salad leaves as in June. They don’t like really hot weather so if it does heat up it’s probably a good idea to not sow for a couple of weeks. I have also sown some ruby chard as I’ve found that this keeps on growing all winter and provides a nice green vegetable right through to spring. In August I will sow some winter cabbages and they should be big enough to plant out in September. By the middle of August you can sow some spinach again (it also doesn’t like too much heat) to keep you going through the autumn.

Growing
Most things are coming along nicely. My runner beans are climbing well up the wigwams, my courgettes have been a bit slow but I’ve fed them with a seaweed based organic food and sprinkled garlic granules around them to discourage slugs and snails. (I found a frog in a pair of wellies left out in the garden for a week which I was glad to see despite the mini heart attack when it hopped out! It should be eating the slugs for me). If you’re growing runner beans you should keep watering them well if it hasn’t rained for a couple of days.

By August you should see a good growth on sweetcorn, and squash/pumpkins. The runner beans will be ready and peas will be finishing off. In the greenhouse the aubergines, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes will be ripening. Keep feeding with a seaweed based food on a regular basis.

My pear tree has fruit on it for the first time and they do seem to be growing, fingers crossed. The blueberry bushes are coming along well and looks like there will be a decent crop. Remember to keep watering, with rain water.

If you haven’t already got a water butt you should invest in one. Rain water is naturally better for fruit and vegetables and collecting in a water butt is an environmentally friendly option.

Harvesting
Now (end of July) I am harvesting daily. The shallots and potatoes (I planted Charlottes this year) are ready and we are digging them up as and when required. The peas and beans are ready daily so I tend to collect them every 2 or 3 days to ensure a reasonable amount.

We are eating salad regularly and I’m keen to avoid the lettuces bolting. The tomatoes and cucumbers will start to ripen in August and be ready to harvest.

I have picked large amounts of raspberries and blackcurrants over the last week. I am collecting them in the freezer for jam making. I love raspberry and blackberry jam so will wait until the blackberries are ready in September.

I have 2 globe artichoke plants which each produce 2 or 3 fruits each year. I am going out to pick one this afternoon. The whole family love this, especially the children. To prepare, cut the stalk quite near the bottom of the artichoke and boil the whole thing in water with the juice of a lemon (this stops it going black) until you can easily pull out one of the leaves, this can take 30-40 minutes. Once boiled, let it cool for 10 minutes and prepare your dips. Melted butter, vinaigrette dressing or mayonnaise are good. To eat, pull off the leaves, dip the end in the butter etc and using your teeth scrape off the small nugget at the end of the leaf. This is messy and fun! Once all the leaves have been scraped you get to the hairy choke. Scrape this away and you will find the heart of the artichoke which is delicious. Globe artichokes are easy to grow from seed (more on this in Feb) and it can be hard to find them in Fife (although I got some great ones from the continental market in Kirkcaldy in May).