Courtesy of the RHS, here are a few things that we should be getting on with this month. There is always something to be done in the garden!
Fruit
- Summer prune sideshoots on restricted trees (such as espaliers and fans) to three to four leaves to form fruiting spurs.
- Summer prune restricted apples and pears.
- If necessary, prune nectarines, apricots and peaches after they have fruited.
- If necessary, prune plums, gages and damsons immediately after harvest.
- Water cranberries, lingonberries and blueberries regularly with rainwater. Tap water will do if butts run dry.
- Loosely tie together new blackberries and hybrid berry canes.
- Remove straw and old leaves and tidy up strawberries after fruiting.
- Prune out fruited summer raspberry canes and tie in new ones.
Vegetables
- Irregular watering can lead to problems with blossom end rot in tomatoes, splitting of root vegetables and flower abortion in runner beans. Help prevent this by watering well during dry spells.
- Weeds can also compete with vegetables for water, and act as hosts for pests and diseases, so remove regularly by hoeing.
- Marrows should be raised off the ground slightly, to prevent them discolouring from contact with the soil.
- Continue earthing up celery, putting a layer of paper between the stems and the soil.
- Take care when thinning out any late-sown carrot seedlings to prevent the scent released attracting carrot fly females.
Flowers and Shrubs
- Prune Wisteria
- Deadhead flowering plants regularly
- Watering! – particularly containers, and new plants, preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater
- Collect seed from garden plants
- Keep ponds and water features topped up
- Feed the soil with green manures