Dear Member,

🌱 Green Manures & Soil Care

Now that you are harvesting your flowers and vegetables, you may find gaps of bare soil. If you have access to manure, you may be planning to dig some in. If not, green manures are an excellent alternative.

Green manures cover bare soil to prevent weed growth, improve fertility, increase humus content, and enhance soil structure. They are especially useful in autumn after crops have been lifted. Choose species based on the job required and the length of time the area will be unused.

Some species are not winter hardy, meaning they naturally break down over winter and can be cultivated in spring without special digging‑in.

🌾 Types of Green Manure

🌸 Buckwheat

• Deep‑rooting: breaks up subsoil
• Produces lots of growth → boosts humus
• Attracts hoverflies (great for greenfly control)
• Fast to establish → excellent weed suppression
• Dig or rotavate in before frosts

🌱 Field Beans

• Nitrogen‑fixing
• Sow in rows 20cm apart, 10cm between seeds
• Winter hardy (Sept–Nov sowing)
• Dig in early spring (March–May) before flowering

🌾 Grazing Rye

• Not the same as ryegrass
• Extensive root system → improves soil structure
• Dig in during spring before flower heads form

🌼 Phacelia Tanacetifolia

• Quick to establish
• Excellent weed suppression
• Winter hardy → sow in autumn for spring digging‑in
• Adds humus and improves soil fertility and structure

🍃 Winter Tares

• Fast‑growing annual vetch
• Nitrogen‑fixing and winter hardy
• Best weed suppression when mixed with Rye
• Sow July–September
• Dig in during spring before flowering

Price: Packets £1.47 (covers up to 25m²)

🌿 Mustard Seed (Loose)

One of the fastest‑growing green manures.

⚠️ Do not use where clubroot is present.

Dig in before flowering — often just 3–4 weeks.

• 250g — £1.80 (covers 90m²)
• 500g — £3.50 (covers 180m²)
• 1kg — £6.90 (covers 360m²)

🌼 Still Time to Sow

Preferably under cover:

• Fennel, kale, kohlrabi, beetroot, lettuce, chard, leaf beet

Direct sow:

• Carrots (as soon as possible)

Until month’s end:

• Sprouting broccoli (for overwintering)
• Endive (autumn salads)
• Chicory (for radicchio)
• Winter radish
• Chinese cabbage (even early August for autumn hearts)

🌕 Moon‑Favourable Sowing Period

24–27 July is a strong period for sowing, boosted by the waxing moon ahead of the full moon on 29 July.

🏷️ 10% Monthly Offer for July

Last chance to stock up on all Tomato Feeds.

🌻 Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

Dear Member,

July is the height of summer; the bees are busy and with the temperatures we’ve been seeing of late, there has been plenty to keep gardeners occupied. Vegetable plots are full and ready for harvesting, and flowers should be blooming beautifully.

It’s your last chance to sow:

• Beetroot
• Carrots
• French Beans
• Runner Beans

These will give you a late‑season crop.

You can also sow Pak Choi this month — it’s less likely to bolt now than earlier in the summer.

🌿 Quick Crops

• Pea shoots — ready in three weeks, perfect for salads.
• Radish — fast-growing and ready in 3–4 weeks.

🌱 Sow Now for Next Year

July and August are ideal months to sow a few vegetable seeds for a spring harvest, or to sow flower seeds for next year’s display.

🥬 Cabbages

Three varieties can be sown this month:

• Greyhound — sow before the end of July.
• April — sow now until end of August.
• Wheelers Imperial — sow now until end of August.

Hardy cabbages sown now grow slowly through winter, then surge in spring. They’ll be ready from March to July, filling the hungry gap when stored winter produce runs out and early spring crops aren’t yet ready.

🥦 Calabrese

• Stemia F1 — sow now for a March harvest next year.

🍃 Chicory Palla Ross

Bright red, round heads with crisp white ribs — delicious in mixed salads.

Sow now for a spring crop.

🥗 Lettuce

Many lettuces can be sown now for quick cropping.

For winter growing:

• Arctic King — ready around March.
• All the Year Round — also suitable for winter and early spring harvests.

🧅 Onions

Many of you will soon be lifting onions planted last autumn or spring.

But remember: August is the ONLY month to sow Senshyu onion seeds.

🌱 Spring Onions

• White Lisbon Winter Hardy — selected for winter hardiness.

Suitable only for autumn sowing for a spring harvest.

🌸 Pansies

• Winter Flowering Mixed
• Frizzle Sizzle Mixed

Sow now until September for early‑season colour next year.

🌺 Sweet Williams

• Sweet William Auricula Eyed Mixed — sow until the end of July.

Produces large flower heads with distinctive eye colourings.

🏵️ Foxgloves

During August and September, sow:

• Digitalis Purpurea Apricot

A lovely apricot-coloured variety perfect for cottage gardens. Plant in clumps for best effect.

🌼 Wallflowers

Sow by end of July:

• Cloth of Gold — rich yellow flowers for bright spring days.
• Persian Carpet Mixed — apricot, gold, orange, purple, cream and rose shades.

Plenty to think about!

Count down to the Produce Show – now only 55 days to go.

🛒 10% Monthly Offer for July

All Tomato Feeds

Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

🌱 Weekly Update for Members

Last week I mentioned that we will not be stocking any Christmas seed potatoes this year, so you may have to start looking around the garden centres very soon before they run out.

🥕 Harvesting Now

Harvesting should be in full swing with:

• Broad beans
• Early potatoes
• Beetroot (early thinning’s)
• Carrots (early thinning’s)
• Peas

If you have spare space and are not planning to grow more flowers or veg, consider sowing green manures.

🌿 Green Manure Explained

Green manure refers to fast‑growing crops sown to cover bare soil, then dug in while still green.

It helps to:

• Boost soil fertility
• Improve soil texture
• Prevent erosion
• Suppress weeds

💡 Quick Tips

🌽 Shake

Shake your sweetcorn to encourage good fertilisation, helping create fat, kernel‑filled cobs.

🍅 Feed

Feed hungry crops including aubergines, peppers and tomatoes, especially those growing in pots.

🌳 Mulch

If the weather is hot and dry, make sure young fruit trees are well watered and mulched.

Drought can kill young trees.

🔍 Watch Out For

🍅 Tomato Troubles

• Blossom end rot: Caused by calcium deficiency due to irregular watering.

Look for a dark patch at the flowering end of the fruit.

Keep plants consistently watered.

• Brown tomato leaves: Often fungal diseases (like blight), watering mistakes, or nutrient issues.

Remove damaged leaves and water only the soil.

🌬️ Moulds & Mildews

Often caused by poor ventilation.

Keep airflow good in greenhouses and polytunnels, avoid crowding, and remove affected leaves.

🌼 Sow Now

Vegetables:

Basil, beetroot, carrots, chard, chervil, chicory, dill, Florence fennel, French beans, radish, pak choi, spring onions.

We also have a winter spring onion variety that, if planted now, will be ready early spring.

Others to sow now: spinach, kale (cavolo nero), turnip, radish.

Flowers:

Pansies, lupin, delphinium, foxgloves, sweet William, wallflowers.

🏆 WHGAA Garden & Allotment Produce Show

Keep checking which of your flowers and vegetables will be good enough to enter the show:

📍 Caroline Haslett Primary School, Faraday Drive, Shenley Lodge, MK5 7DF

📅 Saturday 5th September

We currently have a TV celebrity awarding the prizes — someone most of you will know.

It was suggested I mention the name in Morse code, but that would be too easy.

🎄 Christmas Potatoes

If you are planning to grow seed potatoes during August for a Christmas harvest, please note:

We will NOT be stocking them this year.

🌷 Autumn Bulbs

Arriving from late August:

• Amaryllis
• Hyacinths (for Christmas flowering)
• Tulips
• Narcissi
• Daffodils

Autumn‑planting onions and garlic are due in mid‑September.

🏷️ 10% Monthly Offer for July

All Tomato Feeds

🌻 Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

Dear Member,

We are now well into the growing season, and you are probably looking to harvest many of your vegetables. Early potatoes may be ready (depends on when you planted them), broad beans will need picking as well as the garlic. For me, July is the best time of the year as when I walk around the supermarket, I look at the cost of the veggies and give a little smile knowing that I can go home and pick some fresh ones and not pay those silly prices.

🧄 Garlic

Carefully lift your garlic once the top half of the foliage has turned yellow. The bulbs will be deliciously juicy — this is known as wet garlic.

🌬️ Check: Brassicas

Tall winter brassicas like brussels sprouts and kale can get top‑heavy. Make a mound of soil around the base of their stems to stabilise them and prevent falling.

🌿 Sow: Oriental Vegetables

July is the ideal time to sow oriental vegetables such as:

• Pak choi
• Tatsoi
• Chinese cabbage
• Chinese broccoli

They prefer the shortening days.

🧅 Shallots

Gently slip your fork under the base of shallots and half lift them out of the soil — this starts the drying process ready for harvesting.

🌱 Growing Onions from Seeds

During December I always suggest sowing onion seeds on Boxing Day, but now I’m going to suggest you start some in AUGUST.

This is the ONLY month you can sow Senshyu onion seeds!

I tried them for the first time last year and kept them in pots throughout winter (though they could have gone in the ground). They went onto the plot around March. I covered them with fine fleece to avoid onion fly until early June, and they have grown extremely well — my best ever onions from seed.

Seeds are not available from the hut but can be ordered from Kings Seeds direct (£1.95 for 150 seeds). Senshyu onion sets are also available for autumn planting, but I prefer the seeds.

🌡️ In the Greenhouse

• Remove lower leaves from cucumbers and tomatoes around ripening fruits.
• Damp down the floors with water to help maintain humidity.

🌾 More Sowing Options

Why not try:

• Chicory or kohl rabi — sow now for a late‑September harvest
• Radish mooli — ready in November
• Cabbage April — sow now for a spring harvest next year

🏆 Time to Look Over: WHGAA Produce Show

Start planning which of your flowers and vegetables will be good enough to enter the WHGAA Garden and Allotment Produce Show, held at:

Caroline Haslett Primary School

Faraday Drive, Shenley Lodge, MK5 7DF

Saturday 5th September

We currently have a TV celebrity awarding the prizes — someone most of you will know.

Count down at 64 Day

More information can be found at https://www.whgaa.org/whgaa-produce-show-2026-5th-september/

🎄 Christmas Potatoes

If you are planning to grow seed potatoes during August for a Christmas harvest, please note:

We will NOT be stocking them this year.

I wanted to let you know early in case you were expecting them.

🛒 10% Monthly Offer for June AND into July

All Tomato Feeds

Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

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