[Hampshire Hog]

It’s getting late and hot! Any thoughts on what I could plant or sow in beds which have given up the ghost? Optimistically sowed some out of date french beans a couple of weeks ago but they are a no show Wondering whether it’s far too late to do anything other than plan for next year or should I plant some cactus??

[Anton]

Ever the optimist, I am chitting some dwarf beans then will start them off in pots to escape the clutches of the slugs and the drought (it will hopefully start raining next week).

Anton

[mumofstig]

John's advice for August sowing is here
https://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-advice-month/fruit-vegetable-growing-august/

[Hampshire Hog]

Thanks Mum.
I’m particularly interested in what could survive the current brutal heat down here.
This afternoon it was 32 degrees C or nearly 90 F in old scale.

[jaydig]

I'm waiting for the temperature to drop so that I can sow some more lettuce and another sowing of spinach. Lettuce won't germinate well if it's too hot, and spinach just runs to seed as soon as it starts to grow in these temperatures.  Patience, patience, I keep telling myself.  Perhaps next week?

[Learnerlady]

I'm same Jaydig, waiting for weather to change
Spinach, lettuce leaves, radish and spring onion and maybe spring greens. I also had no joy sowing dwarf french beans back in July, 3 plants out of 30ish seeds, fortunately the plants that birds nibbled recovered so do have some green beans yeah!!
Also put off sowing half hardy annuals for next year

[Anton]

My dwarf beans are OK but, as I said, I started them off in pots.
Another newsletter I get spoke about putting a plank over lettuce seeds just sown to keep them cool. Might be worth a  try!

Anton

[Hampshire Hog]

Thanks all for your thoughts. Looks like I will just have to sit it out till it cools.

[steven c]

we have just planted out lettuce spinach rocket and beetroot [planted in bed that had onions]  in semi shade this was spare seed maybe too hot but worth a try   good luck.

[lettice]

I sowed some french beans, blue lake and purple podded last week in the ground and a few weeks back and last weeks sowings have all germinated well and the few weeks back ones are half way climbing up the poles.
Transplanted a load of lettuce earlier in the week and all doing lovely in raised beds. Sowed some in trays in the greenhouse too last weekend and all up and strong to be planted out in a few weeks.
Beetroot is still a fine crop to be sowing now along with turnips.

Chard, Spinach and Kale (red Russian and Nero di Toscano) seeds for me have been sown over the last week and germinating in the ground and greenhouse.

Just about to plant out batches of spring onions and sowed some in the greenhouse last week and are up nicely.
Radish will be fine to sow now, especially as a crop between other larger crops.

Not veg, but I keep sowing marigolds (my decades of saving the seed) in pots up till end August and they are up in about five days and setting flowers in a few weeks.

[Aunt Sally]

Love to see some pictures of you crops, lettice.  It all sounds very good.

[rowlandwells]

I've already sowed spring cabbage seed and there growing well in modules in the greenhouse need to pot them on also going to sow onion seed  next week in modules and spring onions to overwinter for next year then the next sowings will be in October cauliflowers to overwinter

[Snow]

I planted autumn salads yesterday and things like pak choi, komatsuma greens, mizuna etc and winter radish like daikon and black Spanish they were all sown a few weeks ago. Next sowings for me will be at the end of August for greenhouse salad leaves to replace the tomatoes by the end of september. Then garlic end of september/start of October.