Double Your Harvests: Sow These 5 Crops in July
Summary
TLDRThis gardening guide offers tips for maximizing summer harvests by sowing seeds of vegetables like kale, peas, beans, endive, carrots, and pak choi. The video demonstrates techniques such as succession sowing, plug tray cultivation, and container gardening, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh produce from late summer into winter. It also addresses common gardening challenges like pests and hot weather, providing practical solutions for a bountiful garden.
Takeaways
- 🌱 Midsummer is an ideal time to start new plants for continuous harvests throughout the year.
- 🥬 Kale, especially the cavalo nero variety, is a great choice for sowing in summer as it prefers cooler autumn weather and has fewer pests.
- 🌿 Succession sowing is a smart gardening technique to maximize space and ensure a continuous supply of crops.
- 🌼 Kale and other brassicas are beneficial for pollinators when allowed to flower in early spring.
- 🌱 Sowing peas and beans in early summer ensures a harvest before the first frosts.
- 🥒 Endive, with its bitter leaves, is a quick-growing salad green that complements softer leaves and is ready to harvest within two months.
- 🥕 Carrots are a must-grow vegetable, and quick-maturing varieties can be sown in summer for a late harvest.
- 🌱 Sowing carrots in containers is a space-saving option, utilizing recycled potting mix from previous crops.
- 🥬 Pak choi, or bok choy, is a delicacy with crisp leaves that can be enjoyed young in salads or cooked when mature.
- 🐌 Slugs are a common pest for pak choi, so sowing in raised beds or plug trays can help protect the seedlings.
- 🌡 Asian greens like pak choi prefer cooler temperatures and may need to be sown later in the season if summers are hot.
Q & A
What is the importance of sowing seeds during midsummer for a gardener?
-Sowing seeds during midsummer ensures that the garden continues to produce crops throughout the year, even after the initial harvests, by allowing for second or third crop cycles.
Why is kale a good choice for sowing in the summer?
-Kale is a good choice for summer sowing because it prefers cooler temperatures, which will be present in the coming autumn, and it will have fewer pests during that time, also it can grow well into the winter.
What is the gardening technique of succession sowing and how does it benefit the garden?
-Succession sowing is a technique where seeds are sown in intervals so that as one crop finishes, another is ready to be planted. This maximizes the use of space and ensures a continuous harvest throughout the season.
What are the two types of kale mentioned in the script and how can they be used in cooking?
-The two types of kale mentioned are Red Russian, which has pink/purple stems, and a curly, crinkled type of kale. They can both be used for their young leaves in salads and their mature leaves for cooking.
What is the recommended planting distance for kale in the garden?
-Kale should be planted about 16 inches (40 cm) apart in both directions to allow for proper growth and space.
Why is it crucial to sow peas and beans early in the summer season?
-Sowing peas and beans early in the summer is important because if sown too late, the pods may not form before the first frosts, which would end the growing season prematurely.
What is the ideal planting depth and spacing for pea seeds?
-Pea seeds should be planted about 2 inches (5 cm) apart in rows that are just over a foot (approximately 30 cm) apart, at a similar depth to ensure proper germination and growth.
What are the characteristics of endive leaves and how do they complement other salad greens?
-Endive leaves have a slightly bitter taste, which serves as a good counterpoint to the milder flavors of other salad greens like lettuce and spinach.
How soon can endive be harvested after sowing?
-Endive can be harvested within about two months after sowing, making it a fast-growing crop for salads.
What is the best way to sow carrots when the summer season is already well underway?
-For late summer carrot sowings, it's best to use a quick-growing variety and to sow seeds about a cm or half an inch apart, ensuring a moist and cool environment for germination.
Why is it beneficial to sow carrots in containers?
-Sowing carrots in containers is beneficial for those with limited ground space, and it allows for the reuse of old potting mix, as carrots do not require very rich compost.
How can one protect newly sown pak choi from slugs and other pests?
-To protect pak choi from slugs, sow the seeds in plug trays to keep them off the ground, and ensure to water them well and provide cool conditions, possibly in a dappled, shady spot.
What is the recommended planting distance for pak choi in the garden?
-Pak choi should be planted about 8 inches (20 cm) apart to ensure they have enough space to grow properly.
Outlines
🌱 Midsummer Gardening: Sowing for Continuous Harvest
This paragraph discusses the importance of continuing to sow seeds during midsummer to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the year. The speaker emphasizes the value of starting new plants even amidst the busy season of weeding, watering, and harvesting. They introduce their selection of vegetables that are ideal for sowing in the summer and promise to share tips for perfect growth. Kale is highlighted as a favorite leafy green, with a focus on the benefits of sowing it in summer for pest-free growth into autumn and winter. The concept of succession sowing is introduced, where new seeds are started while the previous crop is finishing, maximizing the use of space. Specific varieties of kale, such as 'Red Russian' and a curly type, are mentioned, along with the method of sowing in plug trays and the potential for transplanting to larger containers if needed.
🥦 Late Summer Sowing: Peas, Endive, and Carrots
The focus shifts to sowing peas and beans in late summer, noting the urgency before the first frosts. The speaker shares their strategy for sowing peas early in the month to avoid mice and ensure quick germination due to warm soil. They describe the process of sowing, including row spacing and seed depth, and the importance of watering to encourage growth. Endive is introduced as a valuable leafy vegetable with a bitter taste, perfect for sowing in midsummer. The speaker differentiates between frisée and escaroles, choosing to sow the latter. The method involves using a potting mix, sowing a pinch of seeds, and maintaining moisture. Carrots are also highlighted as a must-grow vegetable, with a mention of quick maturing varieties suitable for late summer sowing. The process includes row marking, watering, sowing, and potential shading to aid germination. The potential for container sowing of carrots is also discussed, along with the benefits of using recycled potting mix.
🥬 Sowing Pak Choi and Asian Greens in Summer
The final paragraph centers on sowing pak choi, a crisp and delicately flavored Asian green, and the enjoyment of consuming it in various dishes. The speaker addresses the challenges of slugs and the strategy of sowing in plug trays to protect the seeds. They mention the preference for sowing Asian greens in the second half of summer and the importance of choosing varieties slow to bolt. The process of sowing pak choi seeds in plugs is described, including the selection of a purple-leafed variety. The care required for pak choi, including watering and providing cool conditions, is emphasized, along with the need to protect the plants from slugs and butterflies. The speaker also touches on the timing of sowing and the possibility of waiting for cooler weather if necessary.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Midsummer
💡Sowing seeds
💡Kale
💡Succession sowing
💡Peas
💡Endive
💡Carrots
💡Pak choi
💡Slugs
💡Container gardening
Highlights
Midsummer is an ideal time to start new plants for continuous harvests.
Succession sowing allows for efficient use of garden space by overlapping crops.
Cavalo nero kale can be sown in summer for growth into autumn, with fewer pests.
Kale varieties can be started in plug trays for easy transplanting and crop overlap.
Sowing Red Russian and curly kale provides options for both salads and cooking.
Peas and beans should be sown early in the month to avoid missing the harvest window.
Bush or dwarf beans and quick-growing peas are ideal for late summer sowings.
Endive, with its bitter leaves, complements softer salad greens and grows quickly.
Escaroles are a type of endive with flatter leaves suitable for midsummer sowing.
Carrots are a must-grow vegetable; quick maturing varieties are ideal for late season sowings.
Sowing carrots in containers is a space-saving method using recycled potting mix.
Pak choi is a delicacy with crisp leaves, best sown in plug trays to avoid slugs.
Asian greens like pak choi, komatsuna, and tatsoi are great for late summer sowings.
Proper watering and shading are crucial for pak choi to prevent bolting in hot weather.
Slugs and snails can be managed organically to protect vulnerable plants like pak choi.
Flowering brassicas provide a valuable nectar source for bees and butterflies in early spring.
Transcripts
Midsummer is the peak of the growing season
but we can be so busy weeding, watering and harvesting that we forget to start new plants.
But smart gardeners know that sowing seeds now
will keep their gardens cropping with second or even third crops.
Today we'll be starting off vegetable garden favorites
that will keep the harvests coming for months to come.
I will be revealing my prime tried and trusted selection,
guaranteed to keep your crops coming for longer
and I'll be sharing everything you need to get them growing to perfection.
First up is one of my favorite leafy greens, kale.
Now this is my cavalo nero kale that I sowed earlier in spring,
but making a sowing now in summer can be a savvy idea
because your kale will grow on into the coolness of autumn, which it'll much prefer
and there will be fewer pests around at that time of year.
And all varieties of kale will grow well into the winter as well. If you can resist it that long!
Now alas there isn't much space in my bed
so I'm going to have to start my kale off in these plug trays here,
but it does mean that I can overlap my crops.
Now this is a great example of succession sowing.
It means I can start these off while the things finish over there
and have young plants ready to go out, making the most of the space I have.
And these guys are going to go where my potatoes are currently growing. Not long now.
And I'm sowing two types of kale today,
a beautiful pink/purple stemed variety called Red Russian and a curly, crinkled type of kale.
Both of them will give lovely young leaves, perfect in salads,
and then grow on to give adult leaves for cooking.
And sowing couldn't be simpler. I filled up my plug trays,
I'm making little depressions with my fingertips here
and then into each little depression goes two seeds.
Now if these both come up, I will just thin out the seedlings to leave the strongest in each plug.
And now just cover the seeds over and then we'll give them a bit of a water
and of course a label to set them all on their way.
If there still isn't room in the garden by the time these guys have filled their plugs
I can easily just pot them on into larger plugs or pots and then grow them on until there is space
and that should buy me an extra couple of weeks.
And these guys will get planted about 16in or 40cm apart in both directions
nicely firmed in and given a really good water to set them on their way.
Now I should get some pickings in the autumn before a lull over winter
and then they'll pick up again in spring before eventually flowering
at which point they can just be grubbed up and added to the compost heap.
These are the flowers of mustard which are very closely related to kale.
Now it's worth letting kale and other brassicas flower like this
if you have the space early in spring
because they provide a really valuable source of nectar for bees and butterflies.
With summer in full swing it's a final call for peas and beans,
leave it too late and the pods may not form in time before the first frosts signal game over.
Now for me early in the month it's either bush or dwarf beans
or a cheeky, just in the nick of time, sowing of peas,which is what we're going to do now.
Early in the season there are always mice to contend with,
which I swear are watching in the undergrowth
waiting to snaffle the seeds the moment my back is turned.
But in summer the soil's nice and warm and germination is really speedy
so these guys will be up before the mice have even noticed.
Now I really don't have much room here, just space for a couple of rows
but these really will give premium pickings that are well worth waiting for.
And I'm sowing a fairly quick growing,
shorter variety which should give a harvest by early autumn.
So I've got my rows about well, just over a foot apart here
and cause these don't grow too tall that should be fine
and then I'm just going to space the seeds within the row here
about 2in or 5cm apart and there at a similar depth as well.
The soil's really quite dry after the last crop which has just come out
so I'm going to have to go in with a really good, deep water here to stir them into life.
As I said, these peas will only grow to a couple of feet or around 60cm tall
but they'll still welcome some support, so I'm going to just push in
these kind of pea sticks here which are just kind of off cuts of hazel.
Now as peas grow, they're obviously a cool season crop and they like it nice and moist
so if it gets hot (you never know) then I will be sure to keep it well watered
to keep them growing nice and strongly and if the birds show any attention
then I might have to put in some sort of netting to keep them off.
But all going well I should have a harvest here within about 12 weeks.
As we head into midsummer and beyond there's a long list of luscious leaves we can be sowing
and for me the absolute beauty of them all is endive.
Now if you're unfamiliar with endive, well it's got slightly bitter tasting leaves in a good way
which are the perfect counterpoint to smoother softer leaves like lettuce and spinach.
Now there are two types of endive there's frisée which is French for curly,
and that has really finely dissected intricate leaves
and then there are the flatter, fuller types called the escaroles
which is what we're going to be sowing today.
Like so many salad leaves endive is fast,
with these guys ready to harvest from sowing within about two months.
Now I'm just going to use my usual all purpose potting mix here
and I'm just sieving the last bit here to give a nice smooth texture.
There we are, firm it down a bit. They're going into this pot here
and I'm just going to sow a little scant pinch over the surface like that
and then sieve a little more of our potting mix over the top
and then finish with the water.
Once these seedlings are up, I will transfer them into plug trays, one seeding per plug
and then grow them on and once they fill those plugs
they will get planted out about 9in or 23cm apart.
Now I've chosen a slow to bolt variety, but if we do get bit of a heat wave and it's very dry
well they will of course need to be kept well watered to encourage those luscious leaves.
We've sown carrots a few times in this series of sowing videos
but that's because carrots are a must grow for its sheer character and flavor
and by the way, if you want to catch up with all of these sowing videos
I'll put them in a playlist which I will link to below.
Anyway with summer rapidly marching on, the window for sowing these ravishing roots
is rapidly closing, so it's my last sowing and I'm going to be using a quick growing variety.
If you're not sure which types of carrots can turn things around in time,
well here's a little list of quick maturing varieties to give a go.
There isn't time before autumn for my carrots to grow big fat chunky roots
but there is time for a bonus crop of sweet and tender roots
which I can then enjoy throughout the autumn.
And it's the usual routine for these carrots. I've marked out two rows about 10in or 25cm apart
and now just to help the seeds along cause it is beginning to get a bit dry,
I'm going to water into the row before I sow
and this will create a nice cool, moist cushion around the seeds.
And now to sow, a little pinch of seeds, trying as best as you can
to drop each seed about a cm or half an inch apart,
but don't worry if you get a little a little bit closer than that,
you can always thin the seedlings out. And then just cover them over.
If it gets really hot then what I could do is cover this area with a plank of wood
each row, to kind of shade it until the seedlings come up, but do check regularly.
And if you are in a very hot climate,
then I would say that's absolutely a very good idea actually to help with germination there.
And then these should be good to harvest from about two months time
and then on well into autumn and possibly even early winter.
This is also a really good time to make more sowings of carrots into containers,
so if you don't have much ground space this is a great option.
Now these guys I sowed earlier in the spring and look,
I've got some lovely little baby finger carrots that are perfect for salads.
What I love about sowing carrots into containers
is that they don't really need very rich compost or potting mix,
which means you can get away with actually recycling old potting mix from for example,
a container that had potatoes in, so it'll still have enough nutrients left in it.
So fill a container and then just do the usual, but rather than doing rows
we're going to do what's called broadcast sowing,
which means scattering the seeds evenly all over like this
and then once you've got them scattered, aiming for about a cm or or half an inch apart,
you can then just cover them back over with a touch more of your potting mix.
And now for something that's a real delicacy in the kitchen.
Pak choi or bok choy is a real winner thanks to its crisp but delicately flavored leaves.
I absolutely love it briefly fried with a little bit of oil, lots of minced garlic
and perhaps a little splosh of soy sauce to finish it all off. Mmm delicious!
Pak choi is one of a number of Asian greens
that are great for sowing from the second half of summer.
Others include komatsuna, tatsoi and of course Chinese cabbage.
Now slugs absolutely love pak choi
so I'm again going to be sowing them into a plug tray so I can grow them off the ground for now.
Slugs are a nuisance, but you have to hand it to them, they've got good taste.
What I love about pak choi is that like kale,
you can enjoy the leaves young in salads or let them grow on to then cook.
And just like kale, there are a number of good varieties to choose from
including a purple-tinged colored leaf which is what I'm sowing today.
I've also gone for a variety that is slow to bolt or flower prematurely
which can be a risk at this time of year
and the variety I've chosen is an award winner. Some others for you here.
So I'm just going to sow again like I did with the kale, two seeds into each plug here
and then if they both germinate I will remove the weakest seedling to leave the strongest.
Now the big trick with these pak choi is to keep them well watered and cool,
that's really important especially at this time of year,
so I'll probably grow these outside in a dappled, shady spot,
safe from those butterflies of course which could lay eggs and munch on them.
Pak choi and all of the Asian greens in fact, do not like it hot
so if you do get really hot summers it may just be worth waiting
until later in summer or even early autumn before you sow them.
Once these seedlings are ready, I will plant them out about 8in or 20cm apart
and of course watch out for slugs, making sure I do regular slug hunts and set those traps
and you can learn more about my strategy for dealing with both slugs and snails
completely organically of course, in this video. I'll catch you next time.
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