June advice for no dig vegetables 2023, with pest and weeds stories
See my newsletter for June with lots of advice for the coming few weeks. It’s a top time for sowing beetroot, carrots, purple sprouting broccoli, autumn cauliflower, savoy cabbage and chicory for radicchio.
No dig soil drains and holds moisture. Nonetheless what we do in June depends on the balance of sun and rainfall. “A dripping June keeps all in tune” is balanced by the need for good light levels. Current forecasts suggest rain for the south after about 10th June, and I hope for it.
- Remember also you can subscribe to my weekly advice newsletter. And see the recent Homeacres tour video for more ideas, and to gain ideas.
The month of May saw 48mm rain in its first half with little sunshine, and zero thereafter with sun every day here. Watering makes a beneficial and big difference now to almost all plantings, especially recent ones.
If you find watering difficult in June, such as at Cotgrave Community Garden where their 2600L rainwater was nicked, best reflect on the positive aspect of sunshine. It’s so necessary for healthy growth, shown by this message I received 31st May:
“Northern Italy, extremely rainy May, and my poor pea plants are so ill with mildew that it literally smells like fungi walking by them. Makes me so sad, but spacing and climbing style are similar to yours.”
See next photo – from Le Manoir garden 31st May, Raymond Blanc’s near Oxford UK. I visited there to make a video, and use some of the photos to illustrate my June advice for no dig.
Rabbits, unusual root vegetables and potatoes at Le Manoir 31st May
Pests influence many jobs. And the look of your plot.
Pigeons and rabbits are spoiling the gardening experience in the lovely garden at Le Manoir. They have to use a lot of netting, fleece, and mesh.
Whatever your pests are, you need appropriate protection and I’ve written a knowledge pack or online tutorial about dealing with pests.
Now is time also to be prepared for caterpillars. You can control them with a soil bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis. However we have to buy it as a product to treat box hedges, it’s the Bt as active ingredient.
No dig weed advice, and polytunnel plantings at Le Manoir
Controlling weeds is another big story in gardening. At Homeaces we have them under control, just! Keep hoeing if you see masses of little ones, and lever out new shoots of perennial weeds.
No dig offers huge advantages and time saving, as in this video tour of my new area. Now clear almost of bindweed, within two years.
However you need to apply the appropriate mulches. I’m always disappointed when I see opportunities missed – second photo in gallery below. Also I don’t like using plastic, but sometimes it’s useful. At Le Manoir as in the third photo below, they reuse this fabric once.
Remember you can put all weeds on the compost heap!!
Having problem with cutworms In my tomato planting area. Which has had tomato in the same place for passed 3 years now. This will be the 4th season.Have not seen any reason to plant them in a different location. Actually see better results each year. Would you recommend using a different area in the garden? From what I have read about cutworms not much said about crop rotation. Tho it sure is sad to see nice healthy transplants that I have been raising since March felled the next morning. In any case I had many transplants to fill in the gaps. And the cutworms seem to have mostly been leaving my plants alone.
Not really wanting to rotate to much as my tomato trellis and irrigation is set up in this area.
Never had any cutworm problem in my garden since I have started gardening, going on 5 years now. 3 years no dig. No dig much much better hands down in all areas. Thanks for all your help with everything !
Cody
Saskatchewan, Canada
Hi Cody
That sounds dramatic! You are right that it’s nothing to do with rotation or no rotation, they arrive anyway and cut any plants! I would just make sure to find any to remove (or cut!) them, that you can locate after plants are chopped, and it’s good that you have spare plants.
I hope you are not suffering from smoke!
Hi Cody
I’ve had problems with cutworms the last few years. Plants other than tomatoes tho, I think my tomatoes are big enough by the time I plant them to be cutworm-proof. Seems to me that a nice loose mulch really suits cutworms; on the other hand, it’s easy to riffle through the mulch to find them: unfortunately you only know they are there after they have done their work. I applied cutworm killer nematodes last autumn when a cover crop was being felled and, touch wood, had only a scant few of the blighters and no big problems this year
I’m having difficulty with germination of many seeds this year and am wondering if it a result of the very hot weather. Seeds that are usually easy, cabbage and kale have failed. Also lettuce and parsley no success. All sown under cover but out direct sunlight.
Any advice please?
Hi Susan
Warmth is the main prerequisite for germination. And yet, nights have actually been quite cool. All fine for germination in my experience.
I think your issues are nothing to do with temperature, but probably to do with the compost you are using. There are a lot of really bad ones on the market this year and they can inhibit germination. The fact that all you’re sowings are struggling suggests it’s compost, not seed quality.
Hi Susan
I too have had problems with poor germination and, especially, slow/no growth afterwards. I’d put it down to the cold spring in NE England but finally twigged that it was the peat-free composts I was using – Melcourt and Westland. I’ve done a bit of a comparison of a few peat-frees the last few weeks that has confirmed this. Seedlings are struggling in the aforementioned and Levingtons has been a bit better but the best have been some Lidl compost from last year and some of my home compost from a couple of years ago extended with a bit of perlite. Makes you think! Is it the lack of maturity that makes these peat-frees so poor???
That’s interesting Geoff and I’m sure you’re right, it’s a compost problem. I’m getting fed up with the phrase peat free. We have been made to worry so much about peat, and encouraged not to think beyond it. If the label is there, it must be good!! In fact it’s often any old rubbish!
There is no obvious solution for people who cannot make their own. Possibly buying it one year ahead will help.
Dear Mr. Dowding,
We just saw your latest Video and stumbled upon your experience with sowing asparagus vs planting crowns of asparagus. And we had exactly the same experience!
My husbands family used to grow Asparagus for a living and have since specialized in winemaking, but he is an expert when it comes to asparagus. So we can rule out mistakes being made. Also the delivered crowns where of good quality. And yet the plants that were sown by our kids as an experiment (and neglected througout the winter) are thriving.
Since this first happy discovery three or four years ago we have sown many more. Currently we have about 20 running meters of asparagus and another tray filled with strong seedlings Just waiting for the bed to free up.
We just wanted to share this to “validate” your findings and thank you for all your great work! We learned so much from you and have great success in implementing it in our traditional Bauerngarten.
Best wishes from the Nahe
Sarah
Dear Sarah
Thanks so much for sharing this because it reassures me to know I’m not alone, and makes me more inclined to speak about this in public. It worries me to know that many people must be struggling to establish a good asparagus bed.
The Nahe region of Germany looks very beautiful. I’m very happy to be able to help your Bauerngarten to be more successful.
I just can’t wait for the first spuds, .538kg from one plant today. Enough for 2 meals, for me and her?
I have run out of space and don’t know where to inter plant my red cabbage or sprouts. Broad beans no space, shallots no space yet. sweet corn perhaps, only to have it shade the brassicas later on. Perhaps between the French beans (4inches high) only to have them fighting for space later. Or eat lots of potatoes very quickly, to clear the ground, which may mean no space for leeks, in a few weeks
On another matter I used some stuff called “Weed Stop” from Westland, on my paths and in 2 different places, when I have put peas close to, but not in it, they have been bad to pathetic. The bag quotes 100% natural wood fibre and bark fines. What might be leaching out to affect my peas?
Otherwise the paths are pretty much weed free.
Sounds promising for potatoes.
You can pot on your brassicas to keep them growing.
I have no idea what might be on that product and I must say it does not sound a good idea! We had very little wood to pathways, no more than 2.5 cm per year and it’s well decomposed already.