Sunflower

Sunflower

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Hi all community gardeners,
                                               In the garden in July 2012 what should be growing or not growing in this weather in Dublin Ireland.


Summer in March, winter in May, spring in June - climate change isn’t making it easy for veg growers. We can no longer grow ‘by the book’, but have to use our ingenuity to adapt to whatever the weather throws at us. Undercover space in a greenhouse or polytunnel has been invaluable this year.

There is still time to sow lots more veg for late summer and autumn cropping.

                     Beetroot                                     
                                 early and maincrop; until July. Try 'Boltardy', good resistance to bolting, with fine                                r                                 texture and flavour




Calabrese
until end July
Carrots
early; until end July
Try some in a box if you've run out of space in the garden.
Use an early variety such as the extra sweet Sugarsnax or the spherical rooted Paris Market.
Cauliflower
mini - until early July
Chicory
until end July; Pain di Zucchero, harvest in October.
Chicory, red and sugar loaf
until end August
Florence fennel
for sowing before mid June, choose a cultivar listed as suitable for early sowing; some cultivars are very sensitive to day length and will bolt if sown before the longest day (21st June); until early August
French beans
until end June, or July for a late crop of dwarf beans under cloches
Hamburg parsley
Until end July. Grown for its white parsnip-like roots.
Kohl rabi
until August. Try Azure Star, striking blue/purple ‘bulbs’ with white, mild flavoured flesh.
Lettuce
looseleaf, Cos, crisphead and butterhead. Lettuce, apart from crisphead varieties, germinates poorly when the soil temperature goes above 25C. This can happen in summer. To avoid this risk in hot weather, sow into well watered soil between 2 and 4pm, then cover with some form of shading material for the first 24hrs.
Pak choi
until end August
Parsley
until end July
Peas
maincrop, mangetout and sugarsnap until end of July
Radish, mooli
until end August
Radish, winter
until end August. Sow winter varieties such as China Rose and Black Spanish.
Spinach, perpetual
until mid August, or end of August under cover
Swiss chard
until mid August, or end of August undercover. To brighten up your winter plot, try Rainbow chard. Stems can be orange, yellow, red, bright pink or even white!.
Turnip




early varieties till end August; maincrop varieties till August.



                 Enjoy as best you can this Summer ???
               Willie

South Circular Road Community Food Garden Project

The South Circular Road Community Food Garden Project started in April 2007. We have a derelict site on loan from ST Salvage Company that we have converted into a community food garden. This is a continuation of the initial successful Dolphins Barn Community squatted food garden that was on the canal from 2005 -2007.