Tales from the plot June 2023
It’ll soon be mid-summer and at this time of year our plants need more water. Soils that are rich in well-rotted organic matter are the best for retaining moisture as the organic matter acts like a sponge. Mulches are also great for retaining moisture. When applied to already damp soils, mulches reduce requirements for water. I mulch everything with leaves, grass cuttings and wood shavings out of my chicken coop etc; this not only means less watering, it can mean less weeding! Water butts are a boon all year round, but especially so in the heat of summer, rainwater is far better than tap water so save as much as you can.
Most of our half-hardy crops are now outside in their final growing positions. Our emphasis now turns to weeds and pests, nip the tops out of broad beans this helps with the black fly – I still use a few drops of washing up liquid with some rape seed oil added, about a tablespoon to a half litre squirt bottle but this has to be done daily for a week ….. many plot holders have told me this doesn’t work, I believe you squirt the bugs with it which kills the adults the next day the eggs hatch and there’s a fresh generation so if you do it every day for a week to kill all generations you can win a battle or two but sadly I don’t think you ever win the war!
I never fail to be amazed by the amount of weeds that continually germinate and grow on my allotment, it’s a constant battle, hoeing twice a week helps. I normally grow some Sweet Williams for cut flowers to take home: they last longer than most other flowers in a vase, last year the crop was quite small and I neglected them but they’ve self-seeded which has created quite a headache. I’ve hoed and raked over the ground at least 20 times and they’re still germinating and coming up – I won’t let that happen again.
Courgettes, outdoor cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet corn can all now go in but be aware they don’t like cold weather while they’re still establishing outdoors. Although the risk of a frost has passed for most, do still keep an eye out for cold nights, a combination of cold and wet conditions can be damaging to these young plants and set them back.
Hopefully all should now be well and soon we’ll be reaping the rewards of the work we have put in so far this year.
Richard Thorpe Syston Allotments