August on the Allotment- 2014

August on the Allotment- 2014

There is nothing more entrancing than a cool breeze  gently wafting over one’s face in a hot and airless day. As I sit at my computer with the window open in front of me and all other windows open in my house to catch the evening breezes, this is just blissful. The breeze is not constant which makes it all the more wonderful when it does drift past me. We have had a couple of days of torrential rain in late July which were certainly welcome on our crops and our allotments although, in spite of the deluge, there has been little improvement on the ground. The weather forecast was for further heavy thunderstorms at the end of July which haven’t materialised.

Maintenance around the plot and in greenhouses or poly-tunnels –

v  It has been very dry this summer and many plants which need water on a daily basis are struggling. I have a poly tunnel which is demanding but I have neither the time nor the stamina to water all the other crops which need it during this long dry summer. However, assuming that all indoor crops are watered regularly and appropriately, outdoor crops which would benefit from regular watering and feeding are courgettes, pumpkins, tomatoes, sweetcorn, globe artichokes, aubergines, cucumbers, peppers. At it is the flowers, leading to the fruits we are hoping to harvest, give the plants a good feed of an appropriate high potash fertiliser [ tomato foods are good] weekly;

v  Pick courgettes regularly [daily to every 2 days] to prevent them from becoming too large and to encourage the plants to produce more flowers – of course, you may prefer the large marrows;

v   Except for those varieties of pumpkins which produce small hand-sized pumpkins [Baby Bear, Buffy Ball, Wee B, Festival, etc which can put on viable fruits of 10 or more per plant] ‘stop’ the fruit production at 2 – 4, depending on the size;

v  Strawberries will now be sending out lots of new runners. Peg these into the ground near the ‘mother’ plants or into pots of compost, to create new plants. They will need to be watered regularly especially if in pots. Old spent beds, 3 years old and above can be cleared [they will have produced few runners although if this is your source of runners for the next bed, leave them until the new runners have established]. Once you have taken the runners you need and they are established, cut back the un-needed runners and old leaves from the established plants. Remove old straw and tidy for the winter;

v  Watch out for caterpillars – even netted crops can be attacked by cabbage white butterflies [I have observed the butterflies landing on the netting, folding their wings and creeping through]- environmesh is excellent but, is expensive, especially if you have lots of crops to cover. Slugs and snails are always a problem although this year they have not been so destructive, I have noticed they have caused a lot of damage on my small summer cabbage plot.

v  In greenhouses and poly-tunnels watch for red spider mite – they do love hot dry weather. I try to soak the whole area of my ploy-tunnel to discourage them but, of course this can lead to botrytis infection. Caterpillars on tomatoes can be a big problem, they will munch into the leaves and the fruits, the damage will, of course allow botrytis to attack the plants. Watch out for their droppings and pick them off as soon as you see them – daily if possible – and destroy.

v  On cordon tomato plants, continue to remove side shoots [they will regrow], try to keep the plants to one stem and allow the plants to set 5 – 6 trusses only[remove the growing tip at this point] or you may have lots of small green tomatoes at the end of the season [However, lots of growers are looking for these green tomatoes, there are many recipes for green tomato chutney and green tomato jam]. For me the harvest I want is of red tomatoes for freezing pulp, tomato ketchup and tomato chutneys and relishes;

v  If you have not already done so, prune plum trees and blackcurrant bushes – avoid pruning plum trees in winter time as this can lead to disease infiltration. Remember that blackcurrants fruit on new wood. If you fail to prune on the new shoots on the old branches and this will probably give you a good harvest next year. However, if you are dealing with old bushes which have not been pruned for some years, try to cut out half of the old growth which will encourage new growth for next year but will still leave new shoots on old branches to produce for next year. In the following year, remove the rest of the old branches. When pruning redcurrants and white-currants, remember that they produce fruit on old branches so careful pruning is required to ensure there will still be a crop in the following year.

v  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].

v   Clear away old leaves and debris from harvested crops and of winter brassicas – the leaf debris will give pests a home over the autumn and winter.

v  On Asparagus plots, keep a watch for asparagus beetle – they were very active early in the season but have not been too damaging later. As soon as the old ferns[mine are now six feet high plus [2 metres], turn yellow and brown, cut them back to the ground. Mulch the asparagus well with compost or well rotted manure and ensure all weeds have been removed [don’t hoe as you could damage the roots]

Preparation and planning - re-dig beds as soon as crops are harvested, to create a good workable tilth - ready for planting out.

v  Although it is early for ‘autumn’ digging, I will start to dig ground where crops have been harvested which will give me a chance to do the necessary digging [I have a large area to cover and opportunities for digging can easily be missed]. Areas such as pea beds and those for early brassicas can now be turned over.

v  Don’t forget that strawberry beds which are three years plus old should now be cleared – the ground re-dug and a new area set up for the young runners when rooted.

v  Globe Artichoke plants may well need to be re-established. If, like most of mine, they are several years old, cut back the plants to allow the new growth to develop and look out for side shoots which can be removed from the parent plant and established in a new bed – not yet!

      Sowing and planting

-      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;

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

-      Leeks can be transplanted as soon as the ground can be prepared. If it is very dry, water it well beforehand;

-      Spinach and Swiss Chard can still be sown;

-      Salad crops – lettuce, radishes, rocket, spring onions, can all be sown outdoors – although, in this very dry year, seed beds will require daily watering;

-      Turnips can be sown until the end of August for harvesting into winter.

 Harvesting –

v  Second-Early and Early-Maincrop potatoes are now be ready for harvesting. Watch carefully for Blight and dispose carefully of any top growth you suspect may have blight – don’t compost it;

v  Runner beans and French beans should be harvested regularly to encourage the plants to continue to produce flowers and fruit [ stop the top growth as soon as it becomes a stretch for you to reach]. Those beans which are being grown for drying for the winter [Borlotto, Orca, Jack Edwards, etc. should be allowed to continue to grow without picking until the end of the season when they should dry on the vine [if the weather is very wet you might need to harvest them and pod and dry them indoors on trays];

v  Beetroots and carrots are also at their to their peak quality – remember, when digging carrots to dispose of carrot tops well away from the crop to discourage carrot root fly.

v  Lettuces and spring onions [see above]. The lettuces won’t sit too long in the bed – eat them quickly or give them away and replant with new seedlings. [ I am really bad at harvesting my lettuces and waste so many of them in-spite of offering them to others- I should rethink the varieties I grow and the quantities

v  Globe artichokes are still harvestable although watch out for greenfly and black fly – they are quite a nuisance now coming into their main harvesting season.

v  Of course, in our greenhouses and poly-tunnels – tomatoes will be in full flow, peppers, aubergines, chillies will be ripening.

v  v Cucumbers – indoors and out will be reaching maturity – don’t allow them to become too mature as the seeds can be unpleasant and will reduce the usefulness of the fruits.

    v  Sweetcorn should be harvestable this month. The cobs should be ready for harvesting when the 'silk' has turned dark brown and is brittle. Don't let them sit too long or the kernels become rather tough. Keep an eye out for attacks by mice. rats or pigeons.