June July on the allotment

June and July are some of the busiest and most rewarding months on an allotment. Here's a good checklist of jobs to keep on top of:

🌱 Planting & Sowing

You can still sow:

• Lettuce

• Radishes

• Beetroot

• Carrots (early June)

• Spring onions

• French beans

• Runner beans

• Peas (for a later crop)

• Turnips

• Pak choi and other oriental greens (from July)

Plant out:

• Leeks

• Brussels sprouts

• Winter cabbage

• Kale

🍅 Looking After Crops

• Water regularly, especially tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins and beans.

• Mulch around plants with compost or grass clippings to help retain moisture.

• Tie in climbing beans, tomatoes and peas.

• Pinch out side shoots on cordon tomato varieties.

• Earth up potatoes to protect developing tubers.

🌿 Weed Control

• Hoe regularly on dry days.

• Don't let weeds go to seed.

• Keep paths clear to reduce hiding places for slugs and snails.

🐛 Pest & Disease Checks

• Watch for aphids on beans and brassicas.

• Check brassicas for caterpillars.

• Look out for potato blight, especially during warm, wet weather.

• Remove yellowing leaves from tomatoes to improve airflow.

🥕 Harvesting

June and July often bring:

• Strawberries

• Early potatoes

• Lettuce

• Radishes

• Peas

• Broad beans

• Beetroot

• Courgettes (pick little and often)

• Rhubarb (until early July)

🌸 Other Jobs

• Net soft fruit to protect from birds.

• Deadhead flowers to encourage more blooms.

• Make notes of what's growing well and what you'd change next year.

• Start planning autumn and winter crops.

If You Only Have a Few Hours Each Week

Prioritise:

1. Watering

2. Harvesting

3. Weeding

4. Tying in/supporting plants

5. Pest checks

An allotment in June and July can change dramatically in just a week, so regular visits are worth it—even 30 minutes every few days can make a big difference. 🌞🥕🍓🍅

June and July are great months for spotting wildlife, problems, and signs that your crops need attention. Here are some things to keep an eye out for:

🐞 Helpful Wildlife

• Ladybirds and their larvae – excellent aphid hunters.

• Bees and bumblebees pollinating beans, courgettes, squash and fruit.

• Hoverflies – adults pollinate flowers and larvae eat aphids.

• Frogs and toads – natural slug controllers.

• Hedgehogs (if you're lucky) – also help with slugs and other pests.

🐛 Common Pests

• Aphids (greenfly and blackfly) on beans, broad beans and fruit bushes.

• Cabbage white caterpillars on brassicas.

• Slugs and snails, especially after rain.

• Red spider mites in hot, dry weather, particularly in greenhouses.

• Pigeons pecking brassicas and young seedlings.

🍂 Diseases

• Potato blight – dark brown patches on leaves, especially during warm, humid spells.

• Powdery mildew – white powdery coating on courgettes, squashes and cucumbers.

• Tomato blight – similar symptoms to potato blight.

• Rust on garlic, onions and leeks.

🍓 Signs Crops Need Attention

• Courgettes suddenly appearing seemingly overnight – they can go from perfect to giant marrow in a few days!

• Beans needing extra support as they put on rapid growth.

• Potatoes flowering, indicating early harvests may be approaching.

• Tomatoes producing side shoots that need removing (for cordon varieties).

• Fruit bushes becoming heavy with berries and needing bird protection.

🌸 Seasonal Highlights

• Strawberries ripening.

• Sweet peas flowering and filling the allotment with scent.

• First courgettes and early potatoes ready to harvest.

• Bees working the flowers on beans and squash.

• Butterflies, including cabbage whites, becoming much more active.

⚠️ After Heavy Rain

Check for:

• Waterlogged areas.

• Slug damage.

• Blight symptoms on potatoes and tomatoes.

• Plants blown over by wind.

☀️ During Hot Weather

Watch for:

• Wilting plants.

• Bolting lettuce, spinach and coriander.

• Dry soil beneath mulch.

• Greenhouse temperatures becoming excessive.

A walk around your allotment every few days in June and July can be surprisingly rewarding—you'll often spot new flowers, ripening fruit, beneficial insects, and crops ready to harvest that weren't there just a few days earlier. 🌱🍓🐝🦋