Plant your seeds in June for optimal crop growth.
In the bustling veg garden, the harvests are abundant, with tender baby broad beans and buttery new potatoes taking centre stage. But there's more to come as we delve into the world of continuous summer and autumn harvests, focusing on two standout stars: Pak Choi and Night-Scented Stock.
Pak Choi: The Secret to Continuous Baby Leaves
Pak Choi, a leafy vegetable widely loved for its mild flavour, can be grown as baby leaves for a hassle-free harvest. The best way to ensure a steady supply throughout summer and autumn is to sow seeds successively every 2-3 weeks in well-drained, fertile soil, either outdoors or in containers.
To grow Pak Choi as baby leaves, sow seeds thinly, about ¼ inch deep, with 6-8 inch spacing between plants. Keep the soil moist and rich in organic matter, and provide partial shade during the hottest part of summer to prevent bolting. Harvest baby leaves when they reach around 4 inches tall for the most tender texture.
Night-Scented Stock: A Fragrant Addition
Night-scented stock, with its heady, sweet perfume and soft, lavender-blue flowers, is a delightful addition to any garden. It's easy to grow by sowing it directly into any patch of ground, and it thrives in the summer months.
Maximising Continuous Crops
For an extended growing season, consider sowing Pak Choi outdoors or in tunnels/greenhouses. Choosing varieties like Joi Choi, known for reliable yields in multiple seasons, can also help ensure a continuous harvest. Successive sowing spaced a few weeks apart prevents a single bulky harvest and supplies fresh leaves regularly.
The Poached Egg Plant: A Bee Magnet
The term "poached egg plant" usually refers to Limnanthes douglasii, a flowering plant rather than a vegetable. It's grown more as an ornamental or ground cover rather than for harvest. In the veg garden, it's often sown to attract bees, which may boost the growth of beans.
Seed Sowing Advice
June is the perfect time for seed sowing. Monty offers some seed sowing advice in his latest video, featuring plants suitable for June sowing. Among them, Night-scented stock is specifically mentioned, with 12 plants providing evening scent in total.
Sowing seeds now will ensure harvests into autumn and beyond, making June a crucial month for gardeners looking to extend their growing season. Happy sowing!
Pak Choi can be grown for a continuous harvest of baby leaves by sowing seeds every 2-3 weeks in well-drained, fertile soil, in a home-and-garden setting that includes both outdoors and containers. Meanwhile, Night-Scented Stock, with its fragrant flowers, is easily grown directly into the ground and thrives throughout the summer, adding a delightful aroma to any home-and-garden or garden, especially when grown for continuous summer and autumn harvests.
