PART 1 BEATING THE HUNGRY GAP
Step out of May into June and summer has arrived. The days have become carelessly long, filled with a profligacy of light - if not always with warmth! It's easy to eagerly expect a harvest as the days reach their longest and the nights start to acquire that balmy warmth we expect from summer. But the period from May to mid-June is not called the 'hungry gap' for nothing. All the winter crops-purple sprouting broccoli, kale or leeks - are done and cleared to the compost heap, and other than plenty of sal leaves that do well in the cooler weather of late spring, there is little else to provide variety.
However, June can be a busy month in the veg garden and there are some harvests to be had. After the 'hungry gap', when most plants are still too young to eat and winter's bounty is used up, summer's first pickings are a cause for celebration. If you've sown early and the weather has been kind, you could be harvesting a good selection of crops in June.
Early harvests
Some veg, such as turnips, cabbages and kale, can be left in the ground to mature a little longer, but if you have French beans, broad beans or peas it's best to pick them as soon as they're ready.
It's also the start of the season for allotment staples such as beetroot and carrots. Globe artichokes and Florence fennel may y be ready by the end of the month. You need to keep an eye on artichoke flowers to catch them when the flesh is succulent, before the chokes have developed too far.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von Gardeners World.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von Gardeners World.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Now, at the height of summer, Frances Tophill shows how to boost your plants' health and productivity with a timely cut
Hassle-free harvests
Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings
Bite-sized bounties
Glorious doorstep harvests can easily turn into gluts, so let Rukmini Iyer's recipes help you savour every last bit
Upcycled outdoor living
Create unique and stylish garden features for minimal cost using reclaimed materials and simple DIY skills. Helen Riches shares four step-by-step projects and more inspiring eco tips
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Buildings and landscapes can play a vital role in supercharging your space, as Nick Bailey demonstrates
Greening up a city balcony
Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
The dry and mighty garden
As we adapt our gardens to a more volatile climate, Alan Titchmarsh reveals how to create a drought-tolerant plot and picks his top plant performers
Nature knows best
Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there