Dear Member,

🌱 Plot Updates

This week I planted yet more runner beans — I sowed far too many, but still found the space! With that, the plot should be full… but of course it never quite works like that. A quick look around and suddenly the broad beans, peas and carrots are all ready to harvest. That means an evening of blanching and freezing once we get home.

🧺 Making Space & Planning Ahead

As the broad beans will soon be cleared, I’ve sown four large pots of carrots which will be planted out for a late harvest. The onions are also nearly ready, and once lifted, that area will take the squash, pumpkins and a few dwarf French beans.

🌿 What to Sow Now

This is the time of year to look closely at your plot and make the most of any space that’s about to open up. Good options to sow now include carrots, turnips, beetroot, fennel and spring onions.

🥕 What’s Gone Well

Last August I sowed Senshyu onion seeds — August is the only month you can sow them — and with a bit of winter care they’ve grown brilliantly and are now ready to harvest. In the raised beds I’ve got strong crops of carrots, beetroot and more onions, and the self‑blanching celery is coming on nicely too.

🐦 And What Hasn’t

We all have our challenges: parsnips failed to germinate twice, carrots were over‑sown, potatoes caught the frost, and a few peas were eaten by pigeons despite being netted. A quick adjustment solved it, but it’s all part of the learning curve.

🔍 Reviewing Your Plot

Take a moment to assess your own plot — what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what you might do differently next year. The same applies to your flower borders; some plants simply prefer certain positions.

🌾 Still Time to Sow

There’s still a good window to sow directly outdoors: carrots, parsnips and dwarf French beans. You can inter‑sow these between crops that will finish within four to six weeks. Parsnips are slow to emerge, so watering nearby lettuce helps keep the soil moist for their first roots.

💧 Watering Wisely

The best time to water in summer is early morning between 6am and 10am. If you miss that, after 6pm is the next best option. Cooler temperatures mean less evaporation and deeper water penetration. Potted plants may need watering twice a day in hot spells.

🎁 Plants for Sale

I have just one Squash ‘Hunter’ and one Squash ‘Crown Prince’ left. If you’d like either, please email me. Between the 1,500 plants I grew and the generous donations from members, we have raised £500 for Willen Hospice. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed.

🛍️ Round It Up

You can still support Willen Hospice by rounding up your purchase at the till. We also have a few limited‑edition tote bags left at £3.99, with £1 donated to the Hospice.

🏷️ June Monthly Offer – 10% Off

All Tomato Feeds.

🌼 Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

🌿 June on the Allotment — Growth, Gaps & Good Habits

Dear Member,

Most of your crops should now be growing strongly, and many of your quick‑maturing vegetables will be ready for the table. But it’s certainly not time to relax. June is a month of momentum — watering, weeding, feeding, and keeping a close eye on pests all make a real difference to your summer harvest.

🥬 Fill Gaps with Crops

Early in the season the plot looks spacious, but it fills up fast.

Make the most of every pocket of soil by sowing fast‑growing salads and lettuces between slower crops. Empty ground only grows weeds — so you might as well grow food instead.

🍋 Citrus Trees

Citrus can now be moved outdoors.

Acclimatise them gradually by placing them in shade for the first two weeks before moving them into brighter positions.

🌡️ Greenhouse & Indoor Sowing

Greenhouses and polytunnels work hard in June. Good management prevents heat stress and pest problems.

• Ventilate well: Open doors and vents during the day — temperatures rise fast.
• Dampen down: Wet the floor to cool the space and deter red spider mite.
• Water regularly: Tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons need consistent moisture.
• Feed: Use a high‑potash fertiliser once flowers appear.
• Tie in new growth: Train tomatoes and cucumbers to improve airflow and avoid overcrowding.

🍎 Fruit Tasks for June

Fruit is developing quickly now — time for thinning, mulching, and monitoring.

• June drop: Apple and pear trees naturally shed excess fruit. Don’t worry — it’s normal.
• Mulch strawberries: Straw or biodegradable mulch keeps fruit clean and reduces rot.
• Check gooseberries for sawfly: These pests can strip leaves rapidly — act early.
• Tie in new shoots: Especially on trained fruit trees to improve structure and airflow.
• Thin fruit: If natural drop hasn’t done enough, thin apples and plums by hand to prevent branch strain and improve fruit size.

🌱 Plants for Sale

Still available:

• A few squash and pumpkins
• A couple of courgettes
• Newly donated sweet pepper plants

First come, first served at The Hut.

🧪 Comfrey & Nettle Feed (Very Effective… and Very Smelly!)

A simple, nutrient‑rich homemade feed for hungry crops like tomatoes and aubergines:

1. Half‑fill a bucket with chopped nettles and comfrey.
2. Top up with water and cover.
3. Leave for two weeks to ferment.
4. Strain into another container.
5. Dilute 1 part feed to 10 parts water.

It keeps for about a month — but be warned, the smell is legendary.

🌞 June Monthly Offer — 10% Off

All Tomato Feeds

Perfect timing as your plants begin to flower and set fruit.

Count down to the Produce Show – 79 days

Happy Gardening,

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

Dear Member,

June is a rewarding month on the allotment. After weeks of preparation, early sowings are ready to harvest, summer planting is underway, and growth is accelerating. With warmer weather, pests become more active and regular maintenance becomes essential.

Here are your suggested jobs for the coming week.

Vegetable Tasks for June

🌽 Plant Out Sweetcorn

• Ensure plants are well hardened off.
• Plant in blocks, not rows, to improve pollination.

🍅 Outdoor Tomatoes

• Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with rich soil.
• Plant deeply, stake securely, and tie in regularly.

🎃 Courgettes, Marrows, Pumpkins & Squashes

• All can be planted out now.
• Water well and give each plant plenty of space.

🥬 Celery

• Apply the first collars to trench celery to begin blanching.
• Plant self‑blanching types in blocks to encourage mutual blanching.

🔁 Successional Sowing

Continue sowing every two weeks:

• Lettuce
• Salad leaves
• Radishes
• Spring onions
• Beetroot
• Carrots

🥕 Maincrop Carrots, Swede & Turnips

Sow now for harvests in late summer and early autumn.

🌱 Finish Harvesting Asparagus

• Stop cutting around mid‑June.
• Feed, mulch, and water crowns during dry spells.

🫘 Support Peas & Beans

• Stake, net, and tie in as needed.
• Keep sowing dwarf French beans — they crop in just 8–10 weeks.

🌿 Tip Out Broad Beans

• Pinch out the soft tips to discourage blackfly.
• Ladybirds will help by feeding on any aphids present.

🥗 Harvest Early Crops

Expect first pickings of:

• Radish
• Spring onions
• Early carrots
• Early potatoes grown in containers

🌈 Why Not Try Chicory?

Chicories and radicchio are colourful, versatile crops that shine in autumn.

• Direct sow or start under cover.
• Prick out seedlings and grow on to 10 cm before planting out.
• Keep well watered.
• Delicious raw in salads or roasted in quarters.

🌱 Pea Shoots

A couple of weeks ago I suggested trying pea shoots for salads. The five packs we had sold out immediately.

They grow quickly — ready in just three weeks.

If my order arrives this week, they’ll be back in stock.

🫘 Peas & Beans – Seed Packs

We still have our usual 100g prepacked peas and beans, plus a new selection from Kings Seeds.

Lots of varieties we haven’t stocked before — worth a look.

🌿 Plants for Sale

Thank you to everyone who has donated spare plants to raise funds for Willen Hospice.

Currently available:

• 2 cucumbers (best in a greenhouse or polytunnel)
• A couple of pumpkins
• More squash and pumpkins are growing on and will be brought down when ready

It looks very much as though plant sales will exceed £500 this year — a fantastic achievement.

Thank you all for your support.

🏆 WHGAA Garden & Allotment Show

📅 Saturday 5th September

📍 Caroline Haslett Primary School, Shenley Lodge

Now is the time to start looking at your produce and deciding what you’ll be entering.

💙 Willen Hospice

We will be presenting a further donation at our AGM on Friday 2nd October.

You can still support the charity by:

• Rounding up your purchases at The Hut
• Buying a WHGAA tote bag (£3.95, with £1 donated)

🛒 10% Monthly Offer for June

All Tomato Feeds

Perfect timing as plants move into their main growth phase.

Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

June is a key month for planting, sowing, and keeping on top of fast early‑summer growth. Successional sowing continues to be the best way to ensure a steady supply of fresh produce.

🥗 Successional Sowing & Veg Plot Jobs

Keep sowing lettuce, radish, spring onions and salad leaves little and often. You can still sow carrots, beetroot and dwarf beans outdoors throughout June.

🧅 Onions

Onions put on strong growth now, which is vital for good bulb formation later. Feed with a balanced fertiliser and water during dry spells. A cupful of liquid seaweed in the watering can works wonders.

🥒 Cucumbers

Once established in warmth, cucumbers crop reliably all summer. They need heat, moisture and nutrients.

Commercial growers remove the tiny early fruits until plants reach 45–60 cm (18–24 inches). This encourages:

• A stronger root system
• More leaf growth
• Better yields over a longer period

Your first cucumber is always a joy — but giving the plant time to build strength pays off.

🥬 Spring Cabbages

A fun trick: after harvesting, leave the stump in the ground and cut an X in the top. It will re‑sprout with tender leafy greens. Worth a try this year.

🌱 Plants for Sale

Thank you to everyone who brought plants to The Hut last weekend — they disappeared quickly. I hope to bring courgettes this weekend. More squashes and pumpkins have been sown, but they’ll need time to establish.

🪴 Compost Update

Thatcher’s MP Compost is still delayed from the supplier. We’ll let you know as soon as it arrives.

💧 Keep Checking Moisture

Growth can be rapid in June. Keep beetroot, radishes, and turnips moist to ensure tender, quick‑maturing roots.

🍏 Fruit Trees

My apple tree is showing no fruit set, while the pear beside it is loaded. Common causes include:

• Lack of blossom (age or pruning)
• Poor pollination weather
• Frost damage
• Biennial bearing (resting after a heavy year)

If you have a plum tree, thin the small fruits to prevent branches snapping under a heavy crop.

🫘 Runner & Climbing Beans

If not already done, erect canes for runner beans. Climbing French beans can share the same structure — they’re happy to mingle.

🌸 Flower Care for June

• Pinch out fuchsias for bushier plants and more blooms
• Pick sweet peas as soon as they flower
• Dead‑head roses (repeat‑flowering types only)
• Cut back oriental poppies after flowering to encourage fresh foliage
• Stake tall perennials before wind catches them
• Tie in climbers such as honeysuckle and clematis with soft ties
• Prune evergreen clematis after flowering to maintain shape
• Cut back hardy geraniums once they finish flowering
• Harvest lavender for baking, crafting or garnishing

🌱 June Monthly Offer

10% off Tomato Feed Perfect timing as your plants move into their main growth phase.

Happy Gardening Mick Goodman Membership Secretary