Bad weather: so!

Don’t let the persistent rain, wind and erratic temperatures put you off gardening, says Kitty Scully

If you are bewildered by the weather, trust me, your plants are too. The persistent rain, wind and erratic temperatures so far have stunted plant growth, given the weeds a chance to take hold, caused blight and provided five star lodgings for slugs. If earlier sowings of crops have been lost to gastropods, birds or the inclement weather, rest assured there is still time to sow some more vegetables.

What to sow now: Continue to successionally sow lettuce, mixed salads, scallions, radish, annual spianach and white turnips. There’s still a last chance to sow main crop carrots (Autumn King are one of my favourite varieties), but make sure to get them in pronto. Sowings made in early July should miss the main flight of the carrot root fly. You can also make second sowings of peas, dwarf beans and beetroot. Now is a good time to sow florence fennel.