July tour after a cool | Dull and wet month | Charles Dowding<br />July has been cool, dull and wet. However because the 1/3 acre (1400sqm) garden is no dig and the sun is high, growth has been fantastic.<br /><br />We have taken many wonderful harvests, including seeds from many vegetables. Sales in July average £760 weekly.<br /><br />Beds have been coming empty and we replant with new vegetables, all by hand. We can do it quickly because there is no need to add new compost, there are very few weeds to pull, and the surface is always soft. With firm soil underneath..<br /><br />Average July maximum temperature was 19.9°C / 68°F, rainfall 149 mm / 6 inches, and sunshine 158 hours. Humidity has been often high, but so far I have seen very little late blight.<br /><br />One consequence of continually high moisture levels is strong growth of new weeds from seed. We therefore spend more time weeding. In comparison, last year that same amount of time was needed for watering.<br /><br />I devote a fair amount of time to making compost, and show you some of the results. This includes my wormery, producing a small amount of super high-quality compost for propagation success.<br /><br />Adam Wood's channel is @myco_ad, https://www.youtube.com/@myco_ad/featured<br /><br />Thanks to @kimvanderlaan5962 who recognised the sage and commented: That purple sage at the end is called Salvia Amistad I think, it's amazing.<br /><br />00:00 Introduction, and the comparison in weather to last year<br />01:08 My Open Day on 3rd September (https://charlesdowding.co.uk/events/charles-dowding-open-day/)<br />01:22 Tomatoes in the polytunnel – dropping them down, and deleafing<br />02:08 Melons, and reasons for not deleafing/defoliating – varieties Emir, Petit Gris de Renne and Ogen<br />03:03 More tomatoes – varieties Victoria’s Smile and Berner Rose<br />03:39 Watermelons, ripening slowly due to lack of warmth<br />04:59 Onions going to seed – I open a flower bud to see the seeds inside<br />05:54 Cucumbers, now growing downwards<br />06:07 Pinching out the tops of tomatoes<br />07:20 Peppers – varieties Astor, Liebesapfel, Hungarian Hot Wax<br />07:59 Aubergines – variety de Barbentane<br />08:11 Grenoble Red lettuce for seed<br />09:18 Outside – new planting of chicory for radicchio, which followed onions, and lettuce which followed spring onions<br />09:41 Outdoor plants growing for seed – carrots, beetroot, parsnip and lettuce<br />10:04 Lepiota mushrooms<br />10:39 A second planting of leeks, which followed wild rocket<br />10:46 Jerusalem artichoke <br />11:07 Romanesco cauliflower, 6 weeks old<br />11:47 Kidd’s Orange Red apple tree<br />12:02 Celeriac, and the effect on growth due to a nearby cherry tree<br />12:55 Cavolo nero and Dazzling Blue kale<br />13:19 Purple sprouting broccoli, and Marathon calabrese<br />13:33 Rhubarb, year-round cropping<br />13:55 A trial – growing second early potatoes (Paris) in cow manure, and risk of blight<br />14:34 Rye plants, and how we made new beds on an area that also had rye, and potatoes – I tread down the compost<br />16:05 Thoughts on what we might plant in the new space<br />16:35 Squash, Kuri, and le
