Vegetable garden calendar - July

Sowing in open ground

Despite often persistent heat, it is still possible to sow certain vegetables directly into ground.

• Radishes: pink, round (variety Gaudry 2 for example), long, black, Chinese or even multicoloured,
• Carrots such as Saint Valery carrot NT, which stores well,
• Turnips, Boule d’or for example,
• Spinach,
• Cut-and-come-again lettuce, heading lettuce, escarole, Batavia, rocket,
• large-seeded lamb’s lettuce or full-centred,
• Mesclun, which includes red orache, will brighten your summer salads.

This first group of vegetables should be sown in rows in vegetable patch.

Next:

• Courgette: sow it in a bucket, plant out 3 weeks later for a late-season harvest.
• Green bean: allow 60 days before harvest; you have until end of July to carry out this sowing,
• Pumpkin, if you are counting on it for Halloween decoration!
• Spring cabbage, variety Précoce de Louvier, fits the bill perfectly,
• Herbs such as sorrel, parsley, chervil, coriander, dill… Find them a shady corner of your vegetable patch if possible,
• Leek,
• Chillies and peppers,
• Beetroot: prefer round varieties such as Red Ace, which tolerates drought well and does not bolt, or Crapaudine,
• Late peas. To enjoy them throughout autumn, sow them preferably choosing mangetout types like Norli mange tout or dwarf shelling varieties such as Rondo.

The secret to a successful sowing in July is to water the bottom of the furrow before placing the seeds. Remember this!

Vegetables to transplant in the vegetable patch

In recent months, if you have sown under cover, it’s time to transplant them into open ground. Ideally, harden them off by putting them outside for a few hours a day, about 10 days before transplanting outdoors. This applies to:

• Broccoli, transplant in July for harvest from October,
• Leek, once it reaches pencil thickness,
• Cabbages: winter, Brussels, heading… Cover your cabbage with its leaves to protect it from heat once it reaches about 10 centimetres in diameter,
• Winter lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, escarole, curly or wild chicory… When transplanting, halve lettuce leaves to encourage establishment,
• Winter radish,
• Cauliflower sown in nursery last month.

Vegetables to plant in the vegetable garden

In July, some plantings can also take place.

• Cabbages (green, Brussels, …)
• Leeks
• Herbs (parsley, thyme, chives…)

Vegetables to prune

Pruning is the best way to prevent your young plants from wasting energy on producing branching that will not bear fruit. By cutting back these outgrowths, you allow your young plant to concentrate its energy where it is needed, resulting in better yields.

It is important to prune :

• Aubergines

Cut tops above second truss on the main stem and remove suckers arising from the base

• Tomatoes

Remove buds and suckers to obtain larger fruits and train stems onto suitable supports

• Melons

Remove shoots that do not flower above the 3^rd leaf and watch for the appearance of powdery mildew

• Basil, gherkins, squashes, cucumbers,

Pinch out stems to help young plants branch,

• Chives

Cut back to ground level to stimulate summer regrowth.

In July, in the vegetable garden, it's also a good time to…

• Thin out root vegetables to keep only the sturdiest,
• Weed, hoe between sown ranks, scrape the surface of the soil to break the crust and allow water to penetrate the soil better,
• Water, ALWAYS in the evening, in the cool of the day for greater effectiveness, to save water and avoid burns on the leaves,
• Harvest garlic, shallots, onions, courgettes, beans, melons, aubergines (at the end of the month), beetroot, celery stalks, lettuce, radishes, peas, cucumber, and herbs such as basil, chervil or mint to liven up mojitos!
• Dry lemon balm, summer savoury, tarragon and lavender to preserve them for longer!
• Enjoy onions, artichokes, carrots, beetroots…
• If patches of your vegetable garden empty after harvests, consider sowing your green fertilisers, such as Phacelia for example… Now is the time!
• Watch for diseases such as potato blight,
• If you go on holiday, mulch the base of your young plants with dry grass clippings, for example, to retain as much moisture in the soil as possible.
• In case of a heatwave, do not mow! The less herb there is on the soil, the more it will dry out under the burning sun.

Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

please note

This sowing calendar is for guidance only. Bear in mind that sowing, pricking out, planting and harvests can be earlier or later depending on region and weather. Different varieties of the same vegetable can also provide earlier or later harvests.

You can refer to our map to find which climate zone corresponds to your geographical area.

Before sowing or planting your vegetables and aromatic plants, take the weather into account and check the forecast for the coming days!