Kitchen Garden Magazine

Grow your own fruit and veg with the UK's No. 1 Kitchen Garden magazine

Undercover

June is the start of the summer and often a glorious month. There’s so much promise in all those young growing plants. It’s time to evict the early peas and broad beans – they will have done their bit. Space in the greenhouse and polytunnel is at a premium. Use it for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, sweetcorn and all the treats that thrive with the extra shelter and heat

Hot tip for the month

Many over-wintered brassicas do really well under cover. They give earlier and cleaner crops than those grown outside. The problem is that the greenhouse and polytunnel are usually bursting at the seams with summer crops and no one is going to make space for spring broccoli, or sprouts. You can of course sow later than for outdoor crops, but a good tip is to sow at the same time and keep a few plants in pots until space clears for planting under cover in September or October. Summer crops will be finishing by then and there is still plenty of warmth to keep brassicas growing.

Keep potting on to avoid any root restriction. These plants may seem smaller than ones from the same sowing that are planted in an outdoor bed, but don’t worry. They will soon catch up and overtake outdoor plants and will even crop a few weeks earlier.

Aubergines and melons

These should go into their final planting position this month. Melons do particularly well in growing-bags, but it is always worth making a few drainage holes in the bottom and sitting the bag on a layer of compost to facilitate wandering roots. Twist the stems around a string as they grow. This keeps melons clear of the ground and takes up less space than if they are left to ramble on the ground.

Aubergines will produce lovely purple flowers towards the middle of the month. These may need a hand with pollination. Transfer pollen with a soft paintbrush. Successfully pollinated flowers set marble-sized shiny fruit behind the petals. If flowers are not pollinated they shrivel and drop off the plant. Don’t worry if this happens – more flowers will grow, but the biggest fruit is often grown from the earliest set.

Peppers

Slow and steady growth is the aim. Too much nitrogen can lead to too much leaf at the expense of fruit, so use compost, rather than manure, if planting peppers out this month. Tall plants will need support – provide stakes and tie in stems. This will help the plants support a heavy crop. First flowers should appear in June. These are self-fertile and don’t need any help with pollination.

For much more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!

Copyright information

© Mortons Media Group • | Subscribe | Renew | Buy current issue | Kitchen Garden offers shop