July on the Allotment – Stop Everything Bolting

July on the Allotment – South East England

Or: How to Stop Everything Bolting While You’re On Holiday

July’s when the patch goes mental. Warm days, light ‘til 9pm, and soil that’s finally stopped being a fridge. You can still sow loads, but mess it up now and you’ll be eating slug curry in August.

Here’s what actually matters this month:

STILL SOWING?  – Get These In:

Salad stuff – Lettuce, rocket, all the leafy bits. Little patches every 2 weeks or you’ll have 40 lettuces on Tuesday and none ‘til September. Rocket in shade unless you like eating fireworks.

Spring onions – Chuck ‘em in any gap. Between slow cabbage, next to carrots, wherever. They don’t care.

Beetroot – Quick ones only. Keep ‘em wet or they go woody and taste like a cricket ball.

Carrots – Deep soil, no stones, or use a tub. Get the mesh on or carrot fly will turn ‘em into Swiss cheese.

French beans – Last chance saloon. Dwarf or climbing. Water like they owe you money and mulch ‘em thick.

Winter brassicas – Kale, cabbage for Christmas. Sow in trays or a corner now, plant out later. Don’t put ‘em straight in or pigeons will have a buffet.

Turnips & radishes – 4-week crops. Perfect for gaps where your peas died. Again.

PLANT THESE OUT BEFORE THEY DIE IN THEIR POTS:

Courgettes & squash – Give ‘em a square metre each and feed ‘em compost like it’s free. Because it should be.

Leeks – Dib a hole, drop ‘em in, don’t backfill. Let the rain do it. If it doesn’t rain, you do it.

Brassicas – Kale, cabbage, broccoli. Stamp the soil down hard, then net the lot. Pigeons and cabbage whites are watching you right now.

Late spuds – If you can find seed, if not, there's bound to be a few in the cupboard with tiny roots sprouting, use them to plant . Big tubs only. You’re late, but you might get away with it.

JOBS THAT’LL SAVE YOUR BACON:

Watering – Drown them once a week, don’t ponce about with a sprinkle daily. Pots, new plants, and anything flowering get priority.

Mulch – Grass clippings, compost, whatever. Slap it on thick. stops water vanishing and weeds throwing a party.

Feed – Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers want tomato feed every week. They’re greedy sods.

Weeds – 10 mins after rain. They slide out like butter. Leave ‘em and you’ll need a JCB.

Tie stuff up – Tomatoes, beans, tall peas. July wind or hopefully heavy harvest will snap the lot if you don’t.

THE BUGGERS TO WATCH:

Slugs – Torch at dusk, bucket of salt water. Or beer traps if you’re feeling generous. Wool pellets work too.

Cabbage whites – Net or go egg-squashing every day. Check UNDER leaves. They’re sneaky.

Blight – Warm + wet = your tomatoes and spuds melt. See a dodgy leaf? Rip it off and bin it. Not compost.

Bolting – Lettuce and spinach leg it to seed when it’s hot. Pick ‘em small and sow more. Don’t cry about it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE STUFFING YOUR FACE WITH:

New spuds, lettuce, rocket, peas, broad beans, first French beans, baby beetroot, baby carrots, courgettes by the kilo.

Herbs: Basil, parsley, coriander in shade or it bolts, mint, chives. Snip daily.

DAVE’S 4 RULES FOR JULY:

1. Grow what you actually eat. Don’t plant 30 cabbages if you hate cabbage.

2. No bare soil. Chuck radish seed in any gap. 3 weeks later, free food.

3. Water at night. Less evaporates, slugs are out anyway so you can have a word.

4. Take photos every Sunday. You’ll forget what worked. Your brain’s like a sieve, mine is.

Most important: July’s for picking, eating straight from the plant, and realising you planted too much courgette. Again. It’s not Chelsea Flower Show. It’s an allotment.

Embrace the chaos,

Dave

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