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Tom Brown’s top 10 veg to grow in July
From radishes to lettuce, this is a perfect time to sow seeds that will grow quickly and provide a harvest in the autumn
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As we garden in July, there is a sense that all the hard work of the season is now behind us; we’ve got all our planting in the ground, those plants are established and staked, and undergoing a regular bit of feeding to keep them in fine fettle. But with warm temperatures and strong light levels, this is a perfect time to sow seeds that will grow quickly and provide a harvest for us in the autumn.
Some of the earlier crops that mature quickly, such as broad beans and lettuce, will soon be harvested, leaving gaps in our vegetable gardens and containers that need to be filled.
Here is a list of my top 10 plants that can still be sown in July, to be planted out when large enough, and then harvested in the autumn before the temperatures and light levels drop.
Lettuce and salad leaves
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With the warm weather, my consumption of salad goes up, and although popping to the supermarket to buy a bag of salad might be easy, there’s no substitute for the freshness and flavour that can be gained from this easy-to-grow vegetable. Fill a modular tray with peat-free compost, then place a pinch of lettuce seed into each module, and lightly cover with more compost until you can no longer see the seeds. Place the modular tray into a shallow tray of water and allow the moisture to be absorbed by the compost. Don’t let the compost dry out, and your small salad plugs should be ready to plant out in a few weeks’ time.
Carrots
To achieve a crop of carrots by the autumn, July is the last opportunity to sow this vegetable in containers or into prepared ground. Large containers with a depth of soil that is at least 30cm will be suitable for growing most carrots, but the stubbier types are far better suited for container growing. In the open ground, sow directly and thinly into shallow drills of well-prepared soil and cover with a bit of horticultural fleece to prevent root-fly damage.
Dwarf French beans
This is another one of those vegetables that is on a whole other level in terms of flavour and taste when you grow your own, compared to those that you buy in a supermarket. Dwarf French beans grow very quickly and can be grown in large containers of peat-free compost or in the ground. Either way, these plants should not be allowed to dry out to keep them growing strongly and producing tender beans. Take a 9cm pot and fill it with peat-free compost, then place two bean seeds into the centre of the container and push them down into the compost by a centimetre or so. Allow those plants to develop, then remove the weaker one with a pair of scissors, and plant out the remaining one when roots appear through the drainage holes at the base of the pot.
Radishes
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Easy to grow and quick to mature, radishes make a wonderful addition to salads and should be grown in well-prepared soil in the open ground, or in containers. Sow your seed directly and thinly into drills in the open ground, or scatter them in a reasonably large container, and lightly cover the seed. As with many young plants at this time of year, pay particular attention to watering and do not allow your plants to dry out, as this will compromise the quality of the crop. Thin the radishes as they grow, and as with carrots, cover them with a piece of horticultural fleece to avoid flea-beetle damage.
Bulb fennel
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It is best to wait until this time of year to sow bulb fennel, as this reduces the likelihood of it going to seed prematurely before the bulb has formed. Sow a few seeds into modules of peat-free compost and lightly cover them, keeping the compost moist as the seedlings develop. Reduce the groups of seedlings to the strongest ones with a pair of scissors, then plant out into large containers or into well-prepared ground in a sunny position, not allowing the young plants to dry out at any point.
Mustards and pak choi
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The extreme heat of the summer can sometimes inhibit lettuce seeds from germinating, but mustard and pak choi will germinate at higher temperatures and will be a delicious substitute for more conventional lettuce. Mustards have a more peppery taste. Both should be grown in the same way as other salads.
Nasturtiums
I’ve recently discovered an appreciation for nasturtiums as they provide delicious peppery foliage that can be added to salads, but also edible flowers that make my rather mediocre cooking look a lot more elaborate and professional. The large seeds can be placed in 9cm pots of peat-free compost; use two seeds per pot and push them down into the compost a centimetre or so. Keep them moist until the plants are large enough to plant out into containers or sunny spots in the garden.
Basil
This herb optimises the summer for me, and it can be sown now. Grow on a sunny windowsill, in a greenhouse or in containers on a sheltered patio to provide aromatic foliage for the rest of the summer. Take a pinch of basil seeds and place on the surface of peat-free compost in small pots or modular trays. As soon as that cluster of seedlings produces roots that can be seen through the drainage holes at the base of the pots, they can be planted out into their final position.
Chard
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Rainbow chard has a decorative quality that blurs the line between an ornamental and a vegetable. Chard will tolerate colder temperatures and will often produce leaves, albeit a little more slowly, through the autumn and into the winter if sown now. Pop a couple of seeds into small pots of peat-free compost and lightly cover, then keep them moist. When the clump of seedlings has established, they can be planted out into larger containers or in the open ground.
Spring onions
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Spring or salad onions grow incredibly quickly and can be sown and harvested regularly from now until the end of August. They are best sown directly in well-prepared soil with reasonable fertility. Keep these young plants well watered and prevent them from drying out for best results. They are also suitable for growing in large containers.