Get planting, quickly

For the lazy veg growers there is still time to catch up and make your garden into a harvest heaven, writes Kitty Scully.

IF spring has passed you by and you are lamenting the fact that it is now summer and you may have missed the grow-your-own boat, rest assured, there still is time to catch up.

Main crop, parsnips, swedes, beetroot, runner beans, perpetual spinach and chard can still be sown directly into the ground, but do so soon.

Expert growers such as Klaus Laitenberger consider the last week in May/first week in June the best time for direct sowing carrots as ground temperatures are up, which accelerates seed germination. Later sown crops often do better and are most likely to avoid the first flying of the dreaded carrot root fly.

If you managed to get crops into the ground last month, remember to thin seedlings to appropriate spacing. The earlier crops are thinned the better as less plant disturbance is caused. If you haven’t managed to sow any courgettes, runner beans, french beans, squashes and pumpkins yet, you can still do so by sowing one seed into individual pots inside to plant out at the end of the month.

And of course there are also all those crops that demand to be sown little and often throughout the season to avoid gluts and shortages. In gardening circles this is referred to as successional sowing and is simply the practice of sowing a small amount of the same vegetable in succession during the growing season.

This practice is best suited to quick-maturing vegetables such as spring onions, radish, young carrots, baby beetroot, white turnips and spinach. By sowing regularly in small batches you should have a continuous, fresh supply of these perishable crops throughout the growing season.

It is also useful to stagger your sowings of plants that are prone to bolting such as coriander, rocket and spinach.

Keen gardeners may choose to grow some longer-fruiting crops such as courgettes and runner beans in two batches, to ensure they have plants in peak production well into autumn.

Plants that do not need to be successionally sown include those which produce fruits over a long period such as aubergines, peppers and tomatoes; those which store well, such as onions and pumpkins; and winter vegetables such as purple sprouting broccoli, brussels sprouts and leeks as these need a long season to mature and can then be left in the ground to be picked in stages.

Successional sowings are usually made at fortnightly intervals, but this may vary depending on the weather.

As a rule of thumb, I generally make new sowings when plants from the preceding sowing have germinated and developed a couple of true leaves. At its simplest, successional sowing is just sowing a row or section of a row every few weeks.

A date for the calendar: Summer is the perfect time for being inspired by other people’s gardens and the ideal time for mingling with like-minded people at the many garden festivals running around the country.

This year sees the launch of the first ever Dublin Garden Festival at Dublin’s Christchurch Cathedral and here the plan is to ‘Bring the Outside In’.

From June 13 until June 15, this leading Dublin tourist destination will be transformed into a stunning floral arcadia with contemporary and classic arrangements designed by some of Ireland’s most talented and award-winning floral artists, filling the medieval building with colour.

Visitors will also receive gardening advice and talks from such as Diarmuid Gavin, Dermot O’Neill, Helen Dillon, Jane McCorkell and myself.

Outside, adorning the grounds will be horticultural displays, Irish food produce, urban gardens, birds of prey, a petting zoo, craft demonstrations, live entertainment and an outdoor artisan food tent full of gourmet food and afternoon tea.

For further information, visit www.dublingardenfestival.ie