July
In The Fruit Garden This July
Thin out the fruits on your fruit trees to produce good sized crops. This also helps to prevent brown rot.
Treat apple scab with a fungicide. Always read the manufacturer’s label to check the suitability for use on edible crops.
Peg down runners on your strawberry plants to create more plants for next year. If you don’t need more plants simply remove the strwaberry runners completely.
If you have plants fruiting in containers, make sure you give them a high potash liquid feed to keep them healthy and productive.
Maximise your fig crop by pinching out the tips of side shoots after they’ve developed five leaves.
Check the leaves of gooseberry bushes for sawfly larve, which can compeletly strip the foilage in a matter of days. Jet them off with water or pick them off by hand.
Raspberries are shallow rooted so they’ll appriciate being watered generously in hot, dry waether.
Prune your stone fruit like plum, apricot, peach and cherry now. Pruning these species in the summer reduces the risk of silver leaf disease.
Feed lemons and other citrus fruit trees throughout summer with a special citrus fertiliser.
Prune the fruited stems of blackcurrant bushes after harvesting.
If you’ve trained your apples and pears as cordons, fans or espaliers, give them their summer prune now to maintain a good shape.
Top Tip:
Protect any developing fruits from birds and squirrels by placing mesh around your plants.
This Month's Key Tips
- Water plants if dry daily, but be water-wise.
- Deadhead bedding plants and flowering perennials.
- Clear algae, blanket weed and debris from ponds.
- Give the lawn a quick-acting summer feed.
- Plant second cropping potatoes now to give you new potatoes for Christmas.
