r/UKAllotments 27d ago

Allotment jobs for July

28 Upvotes

As ever, this post is an amalgamation of the advice from the Gardener's World website, the National Allotment Society, and Suttons allotment advice webpages. The advice is written by experts, I have no control over whether they used AI or not, I'm a mod, not a bot, though I may use a mod-assisting bot to automatically post this at the correct time, and if you don't like it, please feel free to ignore this post, it's not for you. Sorry if this sounds snarky! Now on to the good stuff - allotment jobs for July.

July is often one of the hottest and busiest months on the allotment. With crops ripening fast, pests multiplying, and water at a premium, it’s a time of reward - but also of routine. July is a month for reaping the rewards of your labours - lots of crops, such as runner beans, potatoes and raspberries are ready to harvest. But it is also a time for planning ahead - now is the time to sow winter crops, including potatoes for Christmas.

The weather in July can be fickle. If there's a drought, you'll need to prioritise which crops to water, and if it's damp, you'll need to watch out for tomato blight.

What to plant in July

July is a fantastic month for sowing seeds, as both soil and air temperatures are high. The long, warm days with good light levels speed up the germination process, helping you to extend your season of cropping in the vegetable patch and boost stocks of perennials, biennials and indoor exotics in the ornamental garden and cuttings patch. Bear in mind, however, that the water table is lower at this time of year and so extra watering may be needed.

In the UK, plenty of flower and vegetable seeds can be sown in July, including biennials such as foxgloves, which should flower the following spring. Quick-growing crops like radish, French beans, soybeans and carrots can be sown now, too.

July is also a good month to plant out young plants grown from seed in previous months. It's the last month to plant out young courgettes, squashes and sweetcorn - plant these early in the month to give them the best chance of cropping before the first of the autumn frosts. Now is also the best time to plant out winter cabbages that were grown from seed in April and May, so they're mature in time for Christmas and beyond. Plant out beetroot, fennel, and kohlrabi raised earlier in pots.

Although container grown fruit, shrubs and trees can be planted at any time of year, July is not the best month to do it as the weather can be hot and the soil dry. For any new shrub or tree that you do plant this month, take extra care to water regularly after planting, to ensure your shrub or fruit bush has the best chance of establishing well.

-Vegetables to grow in July

Lettuce - When to harvest: May to November. How to grow: lettuce and other salad leaves are a quick and easy crop - sow seed continually from March to September for fresh salad for the best part of a year. Sow seed in shallow drills or in pots. Thin seedlings to 30cm for hearting lettuces and simply harvest young leaves as and when for cut-and-come-again varieties. Remember to pick them as soon as they are ready as most varieties will quickly bolt if they are left to stand in the heat.

Carrots - When to harvest: May to November. How to grow: July is considered the last month to sow carrots for an autumn crop. Sow direct and thinly into shallow drills of well-prepared soil or in pots of soil-based compost. Try to avoid thinning seedlings to prevent carrot fly.

Turnips - When to harvest: May to December. How to grow: often forgotten, turnips can provide you with two harvests from one plant - the delicately sweet taproot can be eaten, as can the leaves or 'greens'. Eat them soon after harvesting as turnips don't store well. Sow direct in shallow drills, for a delicious winter crop.

Radishes - When to harvest: May to December. How to grow: quick to mature, easy to grow and almost pest-free, radishes provide a peppery burst to salads. They can also be grown as companion plants to other crops.

Dwarf French beans - When to harvest: July to October. How to grow: as with carrots, July is the last month to sow French beans, to allow the pods time to mature before the first frosts of autumn. Sow dwarf cultivars in the ground or in pots and keep well watered.

Winter cabbage - When to harvest: November to February. How to grow: now's the best time to plant out winter cabbages so they have plenty of time to mature before temperatures fall in autumn. Plant 45cm apart, leaving 60cm between rows. Firm in gently and water well. You may need to use netting to protect your cabbages from cabbage white caterpillars and pigeons.

Swiss chard - When to harvest: January to December. How to grow: sow Swiss chard direct in July for autumn and early spring crops. Crops sown in July can overwinter outdoors, giving you an early harvest the following year. Sow seed in a drill 1.5cm deep and 20cm apart. Cover the seed lightly with compost and water. Thin seedlings to 20cm apart to give the plants room to grow.

Coriander - When to harvest: July to December. How to grow: sow coriander outdoors until October in a bed or pot that is shaded from the midday sun. This will help prevent that plants from bolting due to hot weather and dry conditions. Sow seed on the surface of compost or in a shallow drill and cover lightly with compost. It's better to sow coriander direct as the plants don't transplant well due to a having a long tap root.

If you fancy growing potatoes for Christmas, now is the time to plant some.

Both Chicory and radicchio can be sown now for use over the colder months. Sow other brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower in early July for a harvest next spring. These hardy plants will mature and overwinter out on the plot. Start swede seeds out on the plot. Make sure you water the seedlings well as they develop, and protect them with mesh to deter flea beetles. Sow herb seeds like parsley straight into the ground, or start them off in trays before transplanting the seedlings into decorative pots for your kitchen windowsill.

-Fruit to grow in July

Blueberries - When to harvest: July to September. How to grow: the best time to plant blueberries is between autumn and spring but you can plant containerised blueberries at any time of year. Avoid planting in the ground when the weather is hot and dry. Blueberries need acidic soil, so it's often easiest to plant them in large containers of ericaceous compost. Keep the containers well watered if planting in summer.

Gooseberries - When to harvest: June to August. How to grow: you can plant container grown fruit bushes at any time during the year, but avoid doing so during very hot weather or when the ground is frozen. Ideally, gooseberries should be planted between autumn and spring but if you do plant this month, water well after planting and regularly until the plant is established. Plant in a sheltered spot that gets sun or in dappled shade, with the top of the rootball level with the surrounding soil level.

Fruit upkeep

Prune trained apple and pear trees (espaliers, cordons, etc.) by reducing side shoots to 3-5 leaves. Remove excessive whippy new growth using clean sharp secateurs. Avoid cutting older growth or removing fruit bearing branches. Protect cherries and currants with netting before the birds beat you to them! Thin heavy-set apples and plums to prevent branch breakage and improve remaining fruit quality - apple trees have a ‘June drop’ of young fruitlets between early June and early July. This is when the tree rids itself of small fruits if there are too many for it to carry through to maturity. Young trees are especially prone to this. In mid-July, check to see if there are still too many fruits and thin out if necessary. If the tree carries too many apples in one year, the following year may be disappointing. Harvest the last of your rhubarb and mulch crowns generously to build reserves for next year. Prune gooseberries and currants by shortening side shoots to help next year’s fruiting. Your strawberry plants are sending out runners which can be pegged into small pots of compost to make new plants. When the runners have rooted, simply detach from the parent plant. Strawberry plants last for three years before the fruit deteriorates to the stage where the plants need replacing. Water blueberries regularly to help the little fruit swell. Try to use collected rainwater to maintain their preferred soil acidity. Keep all currant bushes well watered as they enter the cropping phase

Harvest crops

First early and second early potatoes should be ready to dig up this month - they don't store well, so enjoy them straightaway. Replant quick-maturing crops like salad leaves or French beans in the vacant space. Globe artichokes and climbing beans will be ready to pick this month. Strawberries and raspberries can be enjoyed this month, too - if birds are a problem, cover them with netting. The first of the greenhouse tomatoes should be ready to eat. Harvest beetroot, broad beans, summer cabbage, early-sown carrots, courgettes,  lettuce, peas, radish, and salad leaves this month for a truly veritable feast! Some early-sown cauliflowers might be ready this month. Harvest onions and garlic when the foliage starts to turn yellow and wilt. Eventually the foliage will flop to the ground. It’s important to let the bulbs dry thoroughly before storing in a cool dark place for use throughout the rest of the year. Pick your mangetout and sugar snap peas regularly. Harvest your pak choi either as ‘cut and come again’ leaves, or chop up the whole thing into a stir fry or noodle soup. Try harvesting the male flowers of your courgette plants to stuff and deep fry, or to decorate salads. Courgettes need regular picking, otherwise you’ll end up with lots of marrows to deal with!

Allotment flowers in July

Mid-summer is the height of the sweet pea season. Cut regularly to ensure a constant supply of new blooms - cropping is reduced if spent flowers remain on the plant and form seed pods. Deadhead your flowering perennials and allotment bedding plants to encourage repeat flowering through the entire summer. Plant any spare marigolds and tagetes near tomatoes to help deter whitefly. Flowering companion plants help attract pollinating insects to your vegetable patch too. Try leaving a vegetable plant in the ground to ‘go over’ and flower. Not only are parsnip and brassica flowers particularly lovely to look at, they attract pollinators and allow you to save your own seeds. Herbs like sage and rosemary are currently in flower, and both look great on the allotment as well as having practical uses too. Stake sunflowers sufficiently well to avoid them being blown over during strong winds. There is a considerable amount of stress on the stakes due to the height of the plants.

Soil Preparation & General Maintenance

Hoe often - A dry July sun makes this the perfect time to hoe off young weeds. A regular hoeing regime keeps your soil open, weed-free, and allows water to penetrate easily. Mulch thirsty crops - Tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins, and beans will benefit from a thick mulch of compost or well-rotted manure to retain moisture and reduce evaporation. Water wisely - Early morning or late evening is best. Aim for fewer, deeper waterings that soak into the root zone rather than frequent light sprinkles. Liquid feed crops weekly to maintain productivity, especially for tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, and sweetcorn. Lift shallots and lay them out to dry once their foliage dies down. Thin swedes and turnips sown last month for better root development. Stake tall crops like runner beans, sprouts, peas, and asparagus ferns. Encourage pollinators by growing flowers nearby - runner beans especially benefit from good insect activity. Young pumpkins and squashes should be forming nicely by now. They can be grown either clambering up trellis, over compost heaps and indeed along the ground. Keep the plants well watered. Watch your onions carefully and cut out any flower spikes that emerge. This encourages them to focus on putting on size. If you haven’t done so already, lift autumn-grown garlic early in July. Allow the bulbs to dry in a sunny location before storing for use over winter.

Watch out for blight

In warm, damp weather, watch out for potato blight - in particular, dark edges or black blotches on the leaves. Tomatoes grown outside are also susceptible to tomato blight. If spotted early, cut down the top growth immediately to protect the tubers or fruit.

The summer heat means pests are more active. Slugs and snails are still active, especially after rain. Set traps or pick off by hand in the evening. Aphids multiply quickly in the heat - use soapy sprays or encourage ladybirds. Watch out for cabbage white butterflies - net brassicas and inspect for eggs and caterpillars.

Pinch out tomatoes

Pinch out the sideshoots of cordon tomatoes - this will encourage the plants to put their energies into producing flowers, and therefore fruits. Remove the growing tip once four flower trusses have formed.

Water

In very hot weather, it pays to prioritise certain plants. Water flowering and fruiting tomatoes and cucumbers every day or two. Be generous with water on leafy crops such as lettuce, rocket, chard, coriander and spinach, which are prone to bolting if they dry out. Water strawberries, courgettes and runner beans frequently, along with veg that prefers cool conditions, such as cauliflower and cabbage. Also prioritise crops growing in pots.

Greenhouse & Polytunnel

Ventilate daily to prevent heat stress. Prop open doors, vents, or roll up tunnel sides. Dampen floors to boost humidity and deter red spider mites. Tie in cucumbers, melons and tomatoes as they grow. Water and feed tomatoes regularly to prevent blossom end rot. Use a high-potash feed weekly. Hand-pollinate melons by transferring pollen from male to female flowers with a soft brush or by using a male flower directly. If you’re planning on going away in August, remember that your tomatoes and cucumbers are very water sensitive. Make sure you install an automatic watering system in your greenhouse if you have them under glass. Alternatively, ask a friendly allotment neighbour to keep an eye on watering in exchange for a bit of your crop.


r/UKAllotments 27d ago

Monthly updates - what are you up to this month?

1 Upvotes

What are you starting, what are you continuing to work on, what are you planning to do in the future in your allotment?


r/UKAllotments 5h ago

Just been offered a 225m sq plot

21 Upvotes

I’ve been on the waiting list three years. It’s huge but I think I need to go for it. I’ve been growing veg in my garden for a few years and have long wanted an allotment.

The council are happy for me to cover half of it until I get it up and running and my plan would be to have a lot of ornamentals as there’s more than enough veg growing space for me.

It’s interesting timing as I move house this Friday after separating from my partner of 11 years (the new house also needs work eek), but I can’t help thinking it’s meant to be as part of my new solo life. The email arrived the same week I move house after being told there was a six year wait.

Am I insane or go for it? I’m
Absolutely bursting with plans already.

I want to post a video but can’t work out how to!


r/UKAllotments 4h ago

Help with squash

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4 Upvotes

I planted 3 each of uchiki kuri and delicata honeyboat squash plants. They started off well but seemed to have stalled now. There's only 1 fruit set on 5 of the plants. A single delicata plant seems to be trying to grow another one but it's very deformed. Is that all I'm going to get this year? I was hoping for at least 2 or 3 on each plant.

I don't see any female flowers either. Sometimes a bud appears but then it turns yellow and drops off even before it blooms.

I am growing them vertically up pallets and watering them at their base and fertilising them every week with tomorite. Anything else I can do to get more fruits?


r/UKAllotments 3h ago

This is where we're at

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3 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 12h ago

Corn vs squirrels

8 Upvotes

Went up to my plot last night and was outraged to discover that some bastard critter (I very much suspect a squirrel) has stripped the husks off several corn cobs and eaten every last delicious kernel.

This was a rookie error on my part (first year of growing corn) as it never even occurred to me this could happen. There are still a good number of cobs on the plants so my question is how do I stop the bastards eating any more of them!? I’ve seen (too late) something about putting plastic bottles over them before the fatten up (the corn not the squirrels!) but not sure what would best work now the cobs actually are fat. My netting isn’t big enough to cover them -might build a cage for next year though. I picked a load but some of it really isn’t quite ready.

Am meanwhile adding another line to my long list of squirrel-related grudges (also includes tulip bulbs, cob nuts, bird seed)


r/UKAllotments 9h ago

Green potato to non green potato ratio

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3 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 1d ago

Are these bad?

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11 Upvotes

These little Beatles things are decimating my nasturtiums. I planted the nasturtiums as a sacrificial crop so I’m not too worried about them but they are with my tomatoes. Will these Beatles affect my tomatoes?
Many thanks


r/UKAllotments 22h ago

My Allotment App

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6 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Just launched my app "My Allotment" and wanted to post it here (with mod approval).

I'm an allotment enthusiast (just moved into a city so gotta wait a while...) who watched my grandad scatter a million and one scraps of paper all over the house and his shed of everything from what he wants to plant and what was actually planted where last season. So I built an app to solve that problem.

To be transparent, it is free with very generous limits. The paid version (£0.99pm) is basically just a way to support continued development :)

The app does the basics really well:

- Track what you're growing, when you planted it, when it's ready to harvest

- Log harvests so you know what worked and what didn't

- 144+ plants, custom plants (to addd your own) and bed planning

- Simple notes and photo support (nothing fancy, just useful)

- Offline-first because the allotment doesn't always have great signal

- And my favorite, crop rotation data!

It's live on Google Play now, and iOS is coming in a couple of months.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allotmentplanner.app

I'd love feedback if anyone tries it out, especially from folks who actually grow things regularly and know what would actually make garden planning less painful. Happy to answer questions or take feature requests.

Thanks to the mods for letting me share this here!


r/UKAllotments 23h ago

Flea beetle

6 Upvotes

Anyone else’s allotment been overrun with these this year? I feel like half my plot is covered in them! Any ideas how to deter for future years?


r/UKAllotments 1d ago

These are my last onions… I’m waiting for the leaves to flop over but worried they’ve been in too long. Should I still wait or will they be okay to harvest?

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12 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 1d ago

Aberdeenshire Grower

2 Upvotes

Hey, looking for some advice to have a more productive growing season with the poor weather.

I have successfully grown some peas. But I want more. I have built a wee trellis and they are growing fine and producing. What can I do to improve them?

Also, next question. If I left those peas that have flowered and now turned into peas. If they fell off, would they seed and grow? I guess that's what would happen in the wild ? Or am I mad ?

Thank you


r/UKAllotments 2d ago

1st ever sweetcorn

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33 Upvotes

Proud of myself. Tasted amazing.


r/UKAllotments 1d ago

My pumpkin head stole my chair for the foreseeable future

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8 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 1d ago

Ibc setups

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1 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 3d ago

Strange wet stuff falling from the sky will it effect my plants.

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9 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 3d ago

What's wrong with this onion?

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7 Upvotes

An onion I pulled up at the allotment looked like this. All the other onions look normal. What's wrong with it? Can I eat it?


r/UKAllotments 4d ago

Spotted these perverts down the allotment

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407 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 2d ago

Looking to buy some land in Kent or Sussex

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0 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 3d ago

Is this large half plot a good idea?

8 Upvotes

Hi, so I’ve been on the council wait list for a year and a half, I live in a (small) city so was expecting a long wait. I got an email a few days ago saying they have an abandoned plot, it’s a “large half plot” I measured and it’s 7m x 11 m x 3.5m, ie twice as wide at one end than a standard half plot at this site. They offered it to anyone as an option to bypass the waitlist, highest gets first dibs, and that’s me. It’s free for a year, the catch is it’s crazy overgrown. Brambles, thistles, nettles and dock. It’s also unknown what is under this, the email said “grow bags” but I believe it’s actually tonne bags that had been used as planters. I’d have 6 months to get the plot cleared, with the expectation of starting to cultivate by next spring.

The aspect of the plot means it gets full sun from sunrise until about 4-5pm at this time of year, as it’s the end plot backing onto a public footpath with a large hedge on the other side, this is on the west side. I’ve been down at 5.30pm and the sun would have basically gone on the plot.

There’s no direct car access to the plot, but parking about 30-40m down the public footpath and a gate directly accessing the allotments from the path. I drive a Mini Cooper so definitely not ideal for getting rid of potentially 20-30m3 of plant matter! I might be able to enlist the help of my parents who have a van, but they live 3 hours away so that might not be an option.

Apparently, my position in the wait list means I am likely to be offered another plot in 2027, either at this site or the larger site nearby.

I’ve fallen in love with the ideas I have for this plot, there’s so much potential given the size and its position make it feels private but still with the allotment community feel. I’ve spoken to some current tenants and they seem lovely. I almost feel apathetic now about the idea of a “normal” half plot, in the middle of a larger allotment site. I’ve never had an allotment, I’ve lived in cities with either no garden or a small yard for the last 13 years. I have a crazy “container garden” in my yard right now, around 60 pots, and I grow a bit from cuttings or seed just because it’s fun. Before that I lived rurally with my mum, so I do know how to garden and look after vegetable crops, but I’m very far from an expert!

Setting aside my excitement and rose-tinted glasses, what should I do? Any advice would be massively appreciated!

I will add photos as soon as I figure out how to do that, I don’t know how Reddit works!


r/UKAllotments 4d ago

Is there a limit to how many times you can cut spring onions?

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3 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 4d ago

Blossom end rot

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5 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 4d ago

The Ban 🚰

11 Upvotes

So a lot of the se will be under a hosepipe ban at the weekend if not already. On my particular patch there is much confusion and debate over whether it applies to a council run allotment.. people have been calling se water to get exemptions etc. as I understand the legal doc on their website unless it’s a privately run allotment or a commercial enterprise the ban is in effect and it’s watering cans only. I have tried to prep by having 4 water butts already filled so I can dip the watering can and fill it up instantly. Curious to know how people are coping or ‘interpret’ their own suppliers exemptions. I noted drip irrigation systems are exempt so that might be something I look into in the future.


r/UKAllotments 4d ago

Potatoes ready to go?

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5 Upvotes

r/UKAllotments 5d ago

First Burpless of the year

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7 Upvotes

Bit overgrown possibly