No my dear reader you didn't miss June's update. Unfortunately I was tight for time on the blog with going away but I'm back now and the garden is as productive and beautiful as ever (I'm allowed to boast a little!).
Here is my July Garden update:
July Wildlife:
I can now spot ladybird larvae which is great not only for my plants but because I've seen an abundance of it over my cob trees (in particular) so I must be cultivating better to encourage the good bugs in.
Birds are tending to have so much food to hand at present they are only seen late evenings or when they want a bath in the bird baths. I've heard more than seen finches, blackbirds and ring neck doves.
I've seen a bat a few times circling around the garden just as the light slowly disappears from the sky. Since the old oak tree got taken down I don't know how far it's travelling. I hope it found refuge in a loft somewhere.
July Cultivation:
- Quick tips: Back in January I sat down and made a few lists and ideas on what I wanted to grow in our gardens this year, taking into account space, time spent and food that I love to eat. Having that list has proved to be really useful because I was able to buy all the necessary seeds required without over doing it (a gardeners obsession), know exactly what I need to sow/plant when and be able to plan time to do it rather than rushing everything as and when I suddenly remembered. Or worse still start sowing everything too early!
I find that while I actively do less in July, the garden tends to start showing it's ugly side when the temperature ramps up and the effects of pests really start to take effect.
For me that means both the desert cherry tree and apple tree leaves look awfully disfigured again this yr. It's put paid to much growth on either plant and both will eventually drop the leaves that the aphids sucked on and start to grow new ones.
While I tried to keep the aphids population in check with controlled uses of horticultural soap, being away has meant the suckers have had time to get really established and have won the battle this yr. I won't give up though. The trees are both young and apart from the pest invasion are otherwise healthy. I've taken a few of the ladybird larvae found about the garden and added them to the two fruit trees.
The effect of a longer cool spring meant the potato plants haven't grown as well as I've seen before. The green growth is just half the size of what I'd expect to see. It could be another pest such as beetles or aphids, or it could be a mold issue. I'll leave them and see what happens.
Apart from those two issues the rest of the raised beds are looking good. I'm harvesting kale and spinach daily and both taste delicious. The sweetcorn and squash have started to take off in the middle bed and I've harvested three punnets of strawberries so far.
The garlic and onion bulbs are forming well although still having to complete with the raspberry roots that keep popping through the bed is no mean feat for them.
In the front, aside from the potatoes, the other bed is full of beans and pea plants. The broad-beans are almost ready for harvesting (I'm drooling as I write that), while the mange tout won't be far behind as they have just started to flower. The soya bean plants are steadily growing bigger every day.
The raspberries and blueberries are about to be harvested - both having done extremely well this season in vitality and growth, while the pots of herbs (mint, chives and sage) are great for just adding to cooking when required.
July Plantings:
The chilles are ready for potting up into their final positions. I was also kindly given two lettuce heads to plant which have gone in the space the beetroot was supposed to take up.
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What are you hoping to get up to in your garden this month? Are there any particular crops you can't wait to start growing/harvesting? What ever you are up to - enjoy the great outdoors this week :-)
