Landshare

If you’re only just getting started, relax: you've not left it too late - you can still play catch up and there’s plenty of things that you can plant at this time.

1. get yourself some seedlings that someone else started earlier for you

Garden centres and online sources such as Delfland and Rocket Gardens can supply you with seedlings that will fill your patch in the time it takes to listen to an album or two. You may even find you can get the seedlings for free if you’re not too shy to ask around – this is exactly the time when allotmenters are wondering what to do with their perfectly healthy excess of small plants in need of planting out, and they’ll probably be happy to know they’re going to a hungry home. And for beginners, this is a great way to start off as seedlings take away the often intimidating early stages and get you to the confidence building pay-off in quick time.

2. varieties to plant now

Whether you’re starting up or already growing, it's also the perfect time to get beetroot, kale, peas and beans, courgettes, chard and other leafy greens sown straight into the ground right now to harvest right through the warm months and into the winter. Do keep them watered though, especially in the hottest days.

In the case of kale, peas, beans and courgettes, if you don’t yet have your piece of land, these can be planted now into pots undercover too.

3. seasonal tip

You may be tempted to sow some of the fast-returning crops such as lettuces, salad leaves and radishes, but with conditions hotter and drier than they have been through Spring, there's a much greater chance of your newly sown plants bolting (flowering quickly and running to seed). To minimise the chances of this happening, pick a shady spot to sow them in, water them regularly and well, and keep picking leafy cut and come again leaves small to check their growth.