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It’s now getting late in the year for sowing and planting, but there is still time for lettuces, chicory, endives, and other salad leaves as well as for fast-growing varieties of peas, beetroots, and carrots. If you’ve now harvested all your broad beans, garlic, onions, and shallots, there may be enough space to transplant any Brussels sprouts, cabbages, and cauliflowers that you’ve raised from seed in pots.

Brussels sprouts, cabbages, and cauliflowers

July is the time to sow cabbages for next spring, if you choose the right variety. If space is tight, sow them in a temporary seedbed and transplant them later in the year. Now is your last chance to plant out any Brussels sprouts, winter cabbages, and autumn cauliflowers that you’ve been growing from seed.

Plant out Brussels sprouts seedlings that you’ve raised in pots.

Plant out Brussels sprouts seedlings that you’ve raised in pots.

Broccoli

It’s late for sowing or planting broccoli now, although certain cultivars may still give you an autumn crop.

Florence fennel and kohl rabi

Sow a few more fennel seeds this month for a crop in the autumn, before the first hard frosts. And some more kohl rabi, too – they should then last you through until Christmas.

Peas and French beans

This is your last chance for sowing or planting out peas and beans. Any later and the pods are unlikely to develop before the onset of frosts.

Even dwarf or bush French beans can do with some support from sticks as the pods develop.

Even dwarf or bush French beans can do with some support from sticks as the pods develop.

Leaf vegetables

Continue to sow kale, Swiss chard, and oriental leaves such as mizuna, mibuna, chop suey greens, Chinese broccoli, and mustard greens. They are hardy enough to last well into autumn.

Pick young, barely formed Oriental mustard leaves for trendy “micro greens” salads.

Pick young, barely formed Oriental mustard leaves for trendy “micro greens” salads.

Leeks

Finish transplanting or “dibbing in” leeks raised in pots, modules, or temporary seedbeds. They should all be in their final growing position this month.

Drop each leek seedling into a hole made with a dibber, then fill with water. The soil will fall back around the stem of the leek as it grows.

Drop each leek seedling into a hole made with a dibber, then fill with water. The soil will fall back around the stem of the leek as it grows.

Lettuces and other salad crops

Succession sow more lettuce, rocket, land cress, corn salad, and other salad leaves for an ongoing supply in the autumn.

Root vegetables

Sow your last batch of beetroot now. Late varieties of carrots and turnips can still go in next month.

Endive and chicory

Continue sowing both sugarloaf and radicchio forms of chicory. It’s probably your last chance to sow or plant out endive.

Sow

 

Vegetables

Beetroot

Cabbages (spring)

Calabrese

Carrots

Florence fennel

French beans

Kale

Kohl rabi

Oriental leaves

Peas

Radishes (winter)

Sprouting broccoli

Swiss chard/Spinach beet

Turnips

Salads

Chicory

Endive

Lettuces

Radishes

Rocket

Salad leaves

Spring onions

Plant

 

Chicory

Endive

Lettuces

Radishes

Rocket

Salad leaves

Spring onions

 

 

 

Text and photographs copyright © 2010 Alan Buckingham.

 

Allotment month by month by Alan Buckingham, front cover thumbnail Allotment Month by Month
(Dorling Kindersley, 2009)
Grow Vegetables by Alan Buckingham, front cover thumbnail Grow Vegetables
(Dorling Kindersley, 2007)
Grow Fruit by Alan Buckingham, front cover thumbnail Grow Fruit
(Dorling Kindersley, 2010)