Gardening tips for July

July can be one of the driest months so a lot of time may be spent watering.
You can reduce water loss and save yourself some time by mulching the ground once it’s damp.
Continue regular hoeing throughout July as it not only kills the weeds but also breaks up the top of the soil, stopping water from being drawn to the surface and evaporating.
Ensure you keep the blade of the hoe sharp so that it cuts weeds cleanly rather than just bending them over.
Things you can still sow in July to guarantee a continuous food supply include spring cabbage, peas, French beans, beetroot, carrots, radishes, chicory, Chines cabbage, kohlrabi and lettuce.
If you’ve not already done so, it’s also time to plant out any leek plants sowed in early spring.
Plant leeks deeply to ensure a longer blanched stem.
Create a hole about 15cm (six inches) deep using a dibber and pop the plants in.
There is no need to backfill with soil; just puddle in with water and enough soil will be washed over the roots.
The leeks can then be harvested during the depths of winter.
In the greenhouse continue to remove side shoots from tomatoes and feed regularly with a high potash feed.
Harvest cucumbers regularly to ensure they continue to produce a crop right through the summer.
Finally, in the fruit garden as you finish harvesting your strawberries, select healthy runners from the best plants and pin down into pots of compost for them to root into.
Several weeks later these runners can be cut from their parent plants and planted to provide next year’s crop.

Andrew Wilson
Horticulture manager
Hull City Council