"July is hollyhocks …. and vegetables all out of the garden."
What Seeds to Sow in July
It depends on your dedication and enthusiasm to consistent watering and care of emerging seedlings if you sow now. The hot weather places demand on our ecosystems and not all of us cope well. I try and follow best practice; advice such as grouping containers together for ease of communal watering, growing leafy vegetable varieties in the shade and so forth. Some plants have thrived; my lavenders and thymes are beautiful. Other plants, my sweet peas for example have succumbed to the heat and my erratic watering and have gone over early.
A TIP worth repeating! If sowing direct into the ground this time of year is to water the drill or space before you sow the seeds, sow thinly and then cover with a shallow layer of dry soil. Young seedlings need to be watered regularly until they are established.
Keep sowing ‘little and often’ salad leaves, baby spinach, spring onions and radishes to get a succession of summer salads. Sow lettuce leaves in the shade of more established plants – if the soil temperature is above 25oC then germination may be poor. Slightly shaded they are also less likely to bolt (form flowers and seed heads) instead of leaves. Thinnings can be used in different medleys of salad bowls and dishes.
As my earlier sowing of kale has failed, I’m trying again. Other vegetables to sow now are Dwarf French beans, peas (early dwarf) or mangetout, carrots, kohl rabi, beets and turnips.
Later in July as summer progresses Florence fennel, Swiss chard, Chinese cabbage and winter radishes benefit from the gradually cooler temperatures.
Chicory and endive are sowings for late autumn and winter harvests, or winter spinach and winter oriental varieties like mustard leaf. For spring harvest next year think about purple sprouting broccoli and spring cabbage such as Duncan.
I accidentally spilt a bulk packet of parsley seeds and now add it to most dishes! I shall harvest some and freeze it down for use in winter too. Parsley is a highly nutritious herb, offering a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Other herbs to sow include dill, cilantro and basil, chervil, chives, coriander, oregano and thyme outside and in pots for the window sill too.
Seeds of a range of flowers can be sown in July; from hardy annuals such as pansies, forget me nots and wallflowers to perennials like scabious and rudbeckia for flowers next year.
Quote "July is hollyhocks …. and vegetables all out of the garden." From The Pioneer Woman