What to do in the vegetable garden this July

Winter has arrived, but there is still a lot of gardening to be done.

Now is a good time to start working with early potatoes, strawberries and onions.

Here’s a look at some tasks to tackle in your garden this month.

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Potato planting time

Early potatoes can now be beaten (germinated) to be transplanted later.

Buy certified disease-free spuds from garden retailers and place on trays. Look for small eyes (buttons) and angle upwards. Place in a warm room until sprouts are 2 to 3 cm long. Plant dan.

To chirp or not to chirp?

Traditionally, pruning is done for early potatoes to give them an edge in the garden (by starting the sprouting process indoors). But main potato varieties, which are planted later, do not need to be cut.

Get your strawberries in

Although now available in northern regions, you may have to wait until September in colder areas.

Strawberries need sun, fertile soil and good airflow to prevent fungal diseases.

No space? Grow in a vertical succulent garden.

What to sow and plant now

Seeds to be sown (in the northern / frost-free areas): broad beans, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce (starting in bowls), onions, peas, radishes, rocket, beetroot, spinach, peppers and turnips.

Seeds to be sown (in the southern / cold interior): broccoli, broad beans, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, peas and snow peas, beetroot and spinach.

Ponds / seedlings to plant (north): asparagus, bok choy, all brassicas, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, lettuce, onions and shallots.

Ponts / seedlings to plant (south): asparagus, brassicas, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, silver beets and shallots.

cabbage capers

While cabbage can handle light frost, a long period of cold can cause the track to jam.

Once a seedling has a leaf width of about 10 cm, bolting can occur. Bolting (when flowers form without a head) can then be caused by temperatures below 7 ° C.

Grow plants under claws if necessary.

Cover with nitrogen

Cover extra beds with nitrogen by growing a cover crop of legumes. Legumes can draw atmospheric nitrogen (N2) from the air and, using rhizobia bacteria attached to their roots, convert it to ammonium nitrogen (NH4), a form that plants can use.

Since the air around us is 78 percent nitrogen, there is a lot of nitrogen to choose from, especially since other plants cannot absorb atmospheric nitrogen. In exchange for the bacteria’s good deed, the legumes provide them with carbohydrates.

When the legumes are dug into the soil late in the winter, it provides a certain amount of nitrogen for the next harvest. Plant a leguminous cover crop (crimson clover, broad beans, peas, lucerne and lupine) and dig into the soil after two to three months, before flowering, and let stand for a month.

How to plant onions

Onions are classified as early, middle or late, and the classifications affect when sowing and planting. In temperate regions, sowing from early autumn to midwinter (beginning early, then middle, then late); in cooler regions from mid-autumn to early spring.

Plant seedlings in warm regions from midwinter to early spring; and cool regions late winter to mid-spring. Sow seeds level or directly on the surface of trays with seed heating mixture. Plant seedlings in the garden when they have four to six true leaves.

Plant only 2 to 3 deep to prevent elongation. Space each plant about 15 cm apart and space rows 20 cm apart.