Make the most of summer on the veg patch

Lee Senior takes a look at key tasks for July to keep that fresh produce coming for the months ahead

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It is in July that the nights are beginning to draw in But its often a month of balmy days and nights too, leading to mildew and sometimes sleepless, stuffy nights!

The antidote to that gloomy thought is that our parcels of land are still looking good; they are still producing a bounty of fresh, tasty, healthy food and that is the name of the game, be it to eat, or sell or both.

MAKE THE HOE YOUR BEST FRIEND!

Hoeing is a key task throughout the summer and it can be either relaxing or frustrating depending on the layout of your land and your planting scheme.

If your plants are nicely spaced and also in rows with a decent spacing between them, then happy days as long as your hoe is nice and sharp. This can then be a pleasurable way to spend an hour or two in sunny conditions.

The opposite can be true if you are the owner of a blunt hoe and have a mishmash of planting. This is something to consider at planting out time in spring next year.

Of course not everybody likes hoeing and in smaller, deeper raised beds it can be just as easy to hand weed or use a hand tool.

Mildew often strikes in August due to the weather conditions. The cucurbit clan namely, courgettes, cucumbers, pumpkins and squash are likely candidates. In the flower garden, Aster (Michaelmas Daisies) are also very prone, among others. There are others too of course and this is something to keep an eye out for in late summer.

KEEP THOSE SECATEURS HANDY

There are a number of pruning tasks in July If you are a fan of plums like me, then towards and in August, this is the time of year to do some light pruning on your plum tree if required. Plums shouldn't be pruned in winter as it encourages the destructive 'silver leaf' disease.