I've just heard that June was hotter than average this year – one of those statistics that are pretty hard to swallow when it certainly does not apply to you. In our area it has been cold, wet and windy, feeling more like October than June for much of the time.
The slugs are having a ball in the damp conditions and our plants, although certainly growing due to the rain, have less abundant fl owers than usual so crops will be down. Fingers crossed for a change during July.
You should be able to harvest spinach, peas, beans, carrots, potatoes, beetroot and salad leaves this month and get to your courgettes before they turn into marrows. If you're lucky enough to have fruit too, then currants, strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries should all be ready to pick.
Garden duty
You can still sow carrots and to avoid attracting carrot fly when thinning the seedlings, plant them sparsely to cut down the thinning.
Sow spring cabbage, turnips, pak choi and autumn and winter salad crops.
If you're planning leeks and sprouts for the winter, plant them out now.
Water your crops regularly. This will obviously help them grow, but also protects against diseases and bolting (shooting up and setting fl owers).
Feed plants in pots regularly with a liquid feed.
Keep an eye out for aphids and remove by hand or spray with a weak solution of washing-up liquid.
For more advice, visit: www.rhs.org.uk
