Dobies of Devon’s grow your own calendar

Wondering exactly what to plant – and when – in your garden space over the remainder of the year, to make the most of this area of the home? Award-winning seeds supplier Dobies of Devon’s grow your own gardening calendar should help…

What June means for your garden

A colourful collection of flowers and foliage should be enhancing your garden throughout June, not to mention your plants experiencing fantastic levels of growth as the weather gets a lot warmer. Just be on alert that weeds will be flourishing too and should be dealt with swiftly.

June’s grow your own checklist

• Move any forced strawberries outdoors.
• Outside, all of the following should be sowed:

v  Beetroot

v  Broad beans (directly into prepared beds)

v  Calabrese

v  Chinese cabbage

v  Courgettes (only in southern districts)

v  Cucumbers (directly into prepared beds)

v  French beans (directly into prepared beds)

v  Kohl rabi

v  Marrows (only in southern districts)

v  Pak choi

v  Peas (directly into prepared beds)

v  Pumpkins (only in southern districts)

v  Radish

v  Runner beans (directly into prepared beds)

v  Squash (directly into prepared beds)

v  Sweetcorn (directly into prepared beds)

v  Turnips

• Treat potatoes and tomatoes against blight.
• Plant out celeriac, celery, outdoor ridge cucumbers, sweet peppers, winter brassicas and any artichokes that were previously sown under cover.
• Apply a high potassium liquid feed to any fruit grown from pots.
• Apply a liquid tomato feed to ridge cucumbers.
• Thin-out any seedlings.
• 

What July means for your garden

July is the month when fruit and vegetable begin to ripen and plants start to flower — both with magnificent results. Just be sure that all produce in your garden is getting enough water, as July tends to be among the hottest months of the year.

July’s grow your own checklist

• Sow all of the following:

v  Both autumn and winter salads

v  Cabbage

v  Carrots

v  Chicory

v  Fennel

v  French beans (only in southern districts)

v  Oriental vegetables

v  Runner beans (only in southern districts)

v  Turnips

• Harvest all of the following:

v  Beetroot

v  Broccoli

v  Bulb onions

v  Cabbage

v  Carrots

v  Celeriac

v  Celery

v  Coriander

v  Cucumber

v  Dwarf beans (only early varieties)

v  Endive

v  Kale

v  Lettuce

v  Peppers

v  Rhubarb

v  Rocket

v  Runner beans (only early varieties)

v  Spinach

v  Spring onions

v  Strawberries

v  Swiss chard

v  Tomato

• Plant out brassicas and leeks.
• Complete the summer pruning of apple trees, gooseberries, kiwi fruit, pear trees, redcurrants and white currants.
• Pick courgettes before they become marrows.
• Mulch all fruit with organic matter — chopped leaves, compost and wood chippings will all work — so that water loss is reduced and weeds are suppressed.

What August means for your garden

Adults get to enjoy a hot month of weather and kids the summer holidays throughout August. Therefore, make sure you keep on watering produce in your garden — perhaps invest in an automatic watering system if you’re celebrating the holidays with a getaway, or at least ask a family member, friend or neighbour to help out.

August’s grow your own checklist

• Plant out rooted strawberry runners.
• Sow all of the following:

v  Chicory (only in southern districts)

v  Crimson clover

v  Fennel (only in southern districts)

v  Italian ryegrass

v  Oriental vegetables (only in southern districts)

v  Overwintering onions (only in southern districts)

v  Radish (only in southern districts)

v  Rocket (only in southern districts)

v  Sorrel (only in southern districts)

v  Spring cabbage (only in southern districts)

v  Summer lettuce (only in southern districts)

v  Turnips (only in southern districts)

• Summer prune restricted apples and pears, as well as any sideshoots on restricted trees.
• Once they have fruited, prune apricots, nectarines and peaches.
• After a harvest, prune damsons, gages and plums.
• Prune out any fruited summer raspberry canes while tying in new varieties.
• Treat tomatoes and potatoes from blight.

What September means for your garden

It’s time to get your garden ready for the harsh autumn months ahead now that September has arrived. Harvesting will surely keep you occupied as the days get shorter too.

September’s grow your own checklist

• Plant new strawberry beds and overwintering onion sets.
• Plant out any spring cabbages that were sown during August, covering them in either horticultural fleece or some netting to keep pigeons from shredding them.
• Sow all of the following vegetables so that they are ready to mature next spring:

v  Oriental vegetables

v  Turnip

v  Spinach

v  Winter lettuce

• Prune blackcurrants.
• Harvest all of the following:

v  Apples

v  Haricot beans

v  Pears

v  Plums

v  Store apples

• After a harvest, spur prune kiwi fruit.
• Following fruiting, cut back any old canes of blackberries and hybrid berries and tie in the new canes.
• Get your orders in for any new cold stored strawberry runners, fruit bushes, fruit canes and fruit trees so that they can be delivered and set up in time for winter.
• Cut down asparagus foliage once it turns brown, being sure to take care of their spines and giving them an adequate mulch after the proceedings.

What October means for your garden

There’ll surely be loads of leaves to rake up in October, as you begin to feel a chill in the air. At least you can get on with the task while taking in the crisp autumn colours that make October so easy on the eyes.

October’s grow your own checklist

• Plant cranberries and lingonberries.
• Take cuttings of blueberries, currants and gooseberries.
• Dig up rooted layers of blackberries and hybrid berries.
• Sow overwintering broad beans, but only in mild areas, and ensure you cover them with cloches or fleece so that they receive insulation and protection from pigeons.
• Sow carrots and peas in cold frames, but only in mild areas.
• Plant autumn onion sets and garlic cloves.
• Trim over a cranberry bed.
• Get your orders in for new raspberries, as well as any seeds that you plan to grow next year.
• Dig up outdoor tomato plants, hanging them upside-down in a greenhouse so that the fruits are able to ripen. Don’t worry if some of the fruit doesn’t ripen — they can be used green in chutneys.
• Harvest all of the following, with the first frost being your deadline to work towards:

v  Spring onions

v  Sweetcorn

• Pot-up chives, mint and parsley so that they are ready for the winter months.

What November means for your garden

There’s sure to be a cold snap moving in by the time November arrives, so new fruit trees and bushes should only be planted if the ground isn’t subjected to frost or is dry enough for the task. Spend any spare time in the garden ensuring that any birds that visit are well-fed.

November’s grow your own checklist

• So long as the ground isn’t frosted or too wet, plant any new fruit trees and fruit bushes.
• Dig up chicory roots, remove any foliage, pot them up and then position them in a dark and warm location. Give it between three and six weeks and chicons should appear.
• Sow over wintering broad beans, but only where the soil is well drained and in mild areas.
• Prune all of the following:

v  Apples

v  Gooseberries

v  Medlars

v  Pears

v  Quinces

v  Redcurrants

v  White currants

• Look out for any yellowed leaves on Brussel sprouts and other brassicas, being sure to remove these to stop the development of issues such as brassica downy mildew or grey mould.
• Look out for any plant debris in a vegetable plot, being sure to remove these.

What December means for your garden

The arrival of the festive season means that there won’t be a lot of growing that can be carried out in your garden. Instead, use this month to tidy up your garden if it’s subjected to harsh winter storms, and carry out maintenance of your gardening tools and machinery so that they are ready to use in the New Year.

December’s grow your own checklist

• So long as the ground isn’t frosted or too wet, plant any new fruit trees and fruit bushes.
• Plant garlic and shallots, but only in mild areas and in well-drained soil.
• Plant early varieties of vegetables in greenhouses.
• Prune all of the following:

v  Apples

v  Autumn raspberries

v  Gooseberries

v  Medlars

v  Pears

v  Quinces

v  Redcurrants

v  White currants

• Look out for any yellowed leaves on Brussels sprouts and other brassicas, being sure to remove these to stop the development of issues such as brassica downy mildew or grey mould.
• Look out for any plant debris in a vegetable plot, being sure to remove these.