June on the allotment

On the Allotment in June

  By June most indoor sowing will have finished except perhaps for basil which I grow indoors anyway – even in the South of England in good years, I don’t find it does well outdoors. We are, however, still juggling outdoor sowings, transplanting, watering, weeding, taking dealing with many pests and diseases though they have not been as apparent as some previous years. The unbelievably wet year we had in 2012 has had a serious impact on the numbers of some pests 

 – few flea beetles and few white flies on young brassicas. So far [and I’ve got my fingers tightly crossed] I’ve seen no rust on my developing garlic plants which last year almost devastated my crop.

Red ants, as always are causing havoc in my poly-tunnel. I tried using a recommended ant kill spray [not organic] which, affected my breathing most unpleasantly, probably killed a couple of honey bees in my tunnel and didn’t have a huge affect on the ant nest. When I returned a couple of days later the ants had regrouped and were ready to rebuild. I think I will go back to my time consuming and only moderately effective organic Py solution.

I’m hearing reports of huge numbers of small but, maturing slugs in very large numbers and I would have expected this anyway after all the rain but, there fewer than I would have expected though I have been using slug pellets in my poly-tunnels over young plants in pots waiting to be transplanted and outdoors on seed beds and beds with young transplants. Perhaps, although we are, at least, a month late the expected pests won’t be too destructive.

Maintenance around the plot and in green house or poly-tunnel

– keep established plants healthy and pest free – protect from slugs, snails and birds, especially on any newly planted brassicas or seed beds.

ü  By June you should have finished harvesting asparagus although as this year is late we can probably extend our harvesting for a couple of weeks. We should now allow the spears to develop into ferns, watch out for asparagus beetle and remove any beetles or larvae as soon as they are seen. It is important to allow all the spears to grow to maturity from now on, to feed and strengthen the roots for next year’s crops.

ü  Aphids - particularly on broad beans, whitefly [on brassicas], caterpillars can all weaken or eat you precious young plants. Watch out, also, for ants [especially red ants which seem to be more destructive and quicker to bite than their black ant cousins] – while they don’t, in themselves, damage the plants, they encourage aphids and will build their nests under plants undermining them.

ü  Watch for red-spider mite on indoor plants – spray the young plants with water regularly – [red-spider mites like dry conditions]. Regular spraying with SB Plant Invigorator [it is organic] will strengthen the plants and discourage pests. Although keeping the greenhouse or poly-tunnel damp can discourage red-spider mite, it can also encourage the development of botrytis [grey mould] on fruiting plants like tomatoes, aubergines and peppers.

ü  Protect carrots from carrot root fly – environmesh is quite effective although expensive however, it will last for years. Plant fleece is also quite good and cheaper though, discard after use.

-      Earth up main-crop potatoes as they grow.

-      Pinch out the side shoots of cordon tomato plants as they appear[not from bush tomatoes], on plants already growing on in green houses and poly-tunnels. Stake or tie up the plants as they develop to keep them upright.

- Keep the plot tidy - cut grass on paths regularly to prevent weeds and grass from encroaching on your plot and to reduce slugs and snails.

- Weeding – keep seed beds, particularly, free from weeds. Hoeing is useful but take care to not damage young plants [hoeing is not very effective in wet weather as the hoed weeds will often re-root].

- Support your young peas plants as they develop.

- Pinch out the tender top growth of broad beans as soon as the first few rows of pods set at the bottom of the plants to deter black-fly [aphids].

- Protect strawberries from resting on the naked earth or mud – place straw under the plants or plant matting. Blackbirds do love the early ripening strawberries so netting might be necessary.

- Remove the flower heads of rhubarb as soon as they start to appear as they will stop the production of new leaves [also some people prize the rhubarb flowers for flower arrangements – the flowers can attract aphids].

- As soon as they are big enough to handle, thin carrots and parsnips – dispose of carrot thinnings carefully to avoid attracting carrot fly.

- Keep fruit cages tidy and weeded – for particularly vulnerable bushes like redcurrants and gooseberries, ensure the cages are secure although do allow an escape hole for those intrepid birds which find a way in, in case of predators – cats and foxes will force a way in to catch trapped birds.

·         Preparation and planning

- re-dig beds to create a good workable tilth - ready for planting out. As far possible, maintain the plan for good crop rotation you created over the winter – sometimes this does not work out as planned – weather, timing and condition of the soil can prevent implementation of excellent plans. Avoid planting root crops where you have added manure or lime.

- in June you can still sow many seeds outdoors and preparation of the seed beds is important for good germination. [If the ground is too hard in a dry month to create a fine tilth, try watering the ground well, leave for a short time then water again. If this does not break down unyielding ground, create a furrow 4 – 6inches [10 – 15cm] deep and fill this with compost[I use bought-in compost when necessary]. Sow the seeds into this as normal. The seeds and young plants may well need lots of watering in dry weather to ensure germinating and growing on. The addition of the compost should help the quality of the ground for the next crop when dug in

When transplanting brassicas, it is a good idea to add a sprinkling of lime around each plant if you know your soil is too acid. Don’t add manure at the same time as lime but try to dig in good, well-rotted manure earlier in the season when digging the beds.

·         Sowing and planting

-  under cover [in green house or poly-tunnel] Herbs – basil can still be sown to have successional pots of the herb. Tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers, aubergines can still be transplanted into ground indoors or into large pots.

– outdoors – You can still sow – French beans [some varieties are better sown a bit later. Read the instructions from the seed supplier], runner beans, beetroots [although you may have sown earlier in the season, if you like this crop you can continue to sow for a couple of months:-

-      Beans – French beans and runner beans can be transplanted outdoors;

-    This is still a good time for sowing brassicas outdoors, try 

– Broccoli/calabrese, spring cabbage for next year, winter cauliflower and kale.

- Of course, carrots can be sown until the end of August, if you have suitable conditions although, I have found that I have had more success with earlier sown carrots.

- Courgettes – if you have good, kind conditions, can now be sown outdoors although I have always propagated my seedlings and grown then on indoors to plant out in June. In a good year, with predictably warm forecasts do try for an earlier crop but, I would still prefer to wait.

-    Florence Fennel – a wonderful vegetable whose fresh aniseed flavour is such a wonderful addition to salads – sow from May until July outdoors;

-    Peas can be sown for successional crops until the end of June. Although I have sown some developed for late sowing in late July. While this did extend my harvesting time, the crops were not amazing;

-      Salad crops – lettuce, radishes, rocket, spring onions, can all be sown outdoors.

-   You can still transplant outdoors – aubergines [only in warmer, sheltered areas], French and runner beans, Brassicas – broccoli and calabrese, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale], celery, celeriac, courgettes, outdoor cucumbers, leeks, peppers and chillies[only in warmer, sheltered areas], pumpkins and squashes, outdoor tomatoes.

In all cases, harden the plants off well before planting out and do consider the weather. The young plants should be well watered into their final growing spot and continue to water until the plants have established – if necessary.

·         Harvesting – By now we should be coming to the end of the ‘Lean time’. For some time, the only crops available for harvesting have been asparagus, spring cabbage, lettuce and rhubarb and, of course, my favourite herb, parsley which is wonderful this year. Overwintered cauliflower should be ready now, if it has survived the winter Spinach and Swiss chard should provide a good harvest now – fresh young leaves are excellent in soups, salads, stir-fries, etc.

Early potatoes should now be ready for harvesting – as it has been a ‘late’ year, you may have to wait for a couple of weeks into June for them to be ready.

By the end of the month, globe artichokes should be ready.

Early sowings of peas – if sown under a cloche should start to provide a crop in late now.

Over wintered onions and garlic will now finish its growth – look out for yellowing leaves and some withering. In onions, the leaves will fold over. Lift them and set them on the ground, in dry weather or on a rack, to allow them to dry out before storing in a cool dry place.

Young turnips, sown under cover in early spring should now be available for harvesting.

Rhubarb should now be at its best [don’t forget that the leaves are poisonous].

Soft fruit - redcurrants, blackcurrants and white currants as well as gooseberries, early varieties of raspberry and strawberries should now be ripening. Keep them protected from birds – they do seem to love redcurrants and gooseberries particularly. If you have lots of fruit, make sure you have containers for freezing and lots of jam-pots ready for preserving. If you still have produce in your freezer from last year, now is the time to use it up so that you have space for the new crops.