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07

High summer

What to plant in July

Long evenings, full borders, the smell of warm tomato leaves. Watering becomes a nightly ritual.

Sow indoors

Nothing this month — rest!

Sow outdoors

  • Spring cabbage
  • Turnips
  • Kohlrabi
  • Late salads
  • Chard
  • Parsley for autumn

Flowers to plant

  • Foxgloves (last chance)
  • Wallflowers
  • Honesty
  • Verbascum

Herbs to grow

  • Coriander
  • Dill
  • Parsley
  • Basil cuttings

Beginner tips

  • Pinch out tomato side-shoots weekly and feed with a tomato food once flowers form.
  • Pick courgettes small (15 cm) — the more you pick, the more they crop.

Common mistakes

  • Letting beans grow huge and stringy — pick every 2–3 days.
  • Skipping the holiday-watering plan — even a week of neglect kills tomatoes in pots.

Small garden & pot options

  • · A pot of trailing nasturtiums on a wall
  • · A second sowing of lettuce in a shady corner

Raised bed suggestions

  • · Replace cleared broad bean rows with French beans or kale
  • · Mulch tomatoes to keep moisture even

Plant this month

If you only do one thing in July

  • Leeks
  • Purple sprouting broccoli
  • Strawberry runners

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