Gardeners across the UK are being urged to evaluate their seeds and plant some crops this month to avoid disappointment.
According to top gardening advice, you could miss out on an abundant harvesting of these particular vegetable garden favourites if you don’t get to planting them soon.
In the UK, the best months to plant vegetables are generally March to May, especially if you want to be able to enjoy them as summer and even autumn rolls around. But if you are planning on adding cucumbers, courgettes, French beans, runner beans, sweetcorn or pumpkins to your vegetable garden, you need to sow those seeds as soon as you can.
Cucumbers are the ideal summer veggie, a great addition to any salad or the perfect way to elevate a summer drink. Luckily, they’re also really easy to grow from seed, provided you pick the right variety for your garden and resources. For those us without a greenhouse where we can grow varieties used to warmer climates, outdoor cucumbers – otherwise known as ridge cucumbers – are the way to go.
Plant your seeds in pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost at least half an inch deep and four to six inches apart from each other. They need a temperature of about 20C to germinate so it may be wise to keep them indoors in a cool place until they sprout.
Once they have developed their first pair of ‘true’ leaves, repot them but this time further apart, this time about 12-18 inches apart. Gently acclimatise them to outdoor conditions until the risk of frost has passed, which is generally around late April to early May and then plant them into the ground in May, ensuring to tie them to sturdy support and water them regularly.
Runner beans are a nutritious yet delicious variety of green to add to your summer recipes and just like cucumbers, are easy to grow. You will need a moisture-retentive soil, a sunny spot to place them in, and some form of support like bamboo canes to tie them to. By sowing them indoors in April, in deep pots, you will get better germination and earlier crop of beans to harvest according to the Gardener’s World website.
Place your seeds into rich, moisture-retentive soil with plenty of well-rotted compost or manure added, about two inches deep and six inches apart. If growing them in pots, it is especially important to keep them well watered and it helps to choose as big a container as possible to prevent the compost from drying out too quickly.
On really hot days, move the seeds out of direct sunlight if you can. Well-developed seedlings can then be planted outside in the ground after the last frost, usually around late May.
Once you place them outside, it is vital to give them extra support with canes placed in a circle in the soil and tied together at the top in the shape of a wigwam.
As a tender crop, French beans need to be planted in pots indoors from April and then transferred outside once overnight frosts come to an end.. They need sun, shelter and a fertile, moisture-retentive soil to thrive. There are multiple varieties of French beans suitable for both growing in pots and as climbers that will crop reliably during the hotter summer months of July and onwards if kept well.
In order to sow dwarf French beans, fill a large pot with peat-free multipurpose compost and place them in the soil about 2.5 inches deep and 10 inches apart. Regularly water your seeds to keep the compost consistently moist. They should begin to sprout within a week to 10 days. Keep them safe in their pots until it is warm enough outside that no frost will risk their growth and then transfer them into the ground.
Much like their cousin the cucumber, courgettes are easy to grow and highly abundant, meaning that you only need two or three plants to feed a family and still have some left over to share with your friends and family. Prepare pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost that has been warmed up in the sun or in a greenhouse and press a couple seeds per pot into the soil compacted soil.
It is recommended that you cover the seeds with compost or vermiculite, which will provide warmth to the growing veggies and are free-draining, protecting them from rot when exposed to cool night temperatures. Soak them with tepid water and place in a tray with a clear covering in an area with a temperature of 20C. Once seedling begin to appear from the soil, you can move them larger and stronger pots to continue growing them indoors until they are ready to be placed outside in the soil. This is usually in late spring, once again when last frost has passed.
A staple to many a Great British Summer barbeque, sweetcorn is a fan favourite and, if you act soon, you can grow your own crop in time for you first garden party. They are a tender plant so like to be kept in a sunny and sheltered spot and can be planted in pots to germinate indoors from anytime now. Fill your pots with a good quality compost, and due to their sensitivity of sweetcorn plants to root disturbance, dedicate one pot for each seed you sow. Give them a healthy water and then place on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse if you have one to wait for them to develop into seedlings.
Once the last front is gone, acclimatise them by only placing them outside during the day. Then, once hardened, you can plant them in your vegetable patch, as long as it is a warm, sunny and sheltered spot.
Classically associated with the colder months of autumn, pumpkins and other squash varieties can indeed be grown and enjoyed all throughout the summer. They can be grown indoors from now until the end of May before being placed outside later. Simply soak the seeds in water overnight to kickstart germination and then place two each into pots at least of at least 8cm which are filled with peat free seed compost. It is important to place the seeds on their sides and not flat so that water doesn’t sit on top of them and cause them to rot. Position your pots on a light and warm windowsill and water them often.
Once the seedlings have appeared, it is best to removed the weaker ones to give the stronger ones more space to grow. When they are big enough to handle, place them into larger pots to allow them enough space to grow their rootball and become bigger and more sturdy. You guessed it: once all danger of frost has passed, take them to their final growing position in your garden which should be a shelter, sunny spot. Enhance the soil with lots of of garden compost or well-rotted manure before placing each one 35 inches apart, depending of course on the variety of pumpkin or squash you are growing.
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