June 2021 summer follows a cold spring, new sowings, bindweed, rabbits, compost qualities, and no dig events

Written by

Charles Dowding

Last Updated

May 31, 2021

Much of May has been cold, and this followed a remarkably cold April. The legacy is plant growth a long way behind what one expects at this time. May’s final five days have been warmer, afternoons averaging over 20C/68F. I picked as much asparagus in those days as in the whole month previously. I am finishing this piece on 31st May and just at dawn I can look out of the window and see the hedgerows dripping with hawthorn blossom. It really is such a lovely time of year. Today is forecast 24C/75F, and I have some watering to do, flowers and beans to transplant, lettuce to sow.

May was wet as well as cold, with 112mm/4.5in rain. I often wonder what it would be like to manage this small market garden, if I was digging and rotavating. I look at the dusty or muddy, weedy surface of my dig bed and it frightens me! Soon I hope to have some data about its soil, compared to the adjacent no dig bed. Early indications from Jane, a scientist doing regular measurements, suggest the no dig bed has a lot more carbon in the soil compared to the dig bed, from the same amounts of compost added to each.

Buttercup and hawthorn flowers — After the dandelions comes the season of buttercups, and in the hedge row is the beautiful hawthorn blossom. Compost heap left is simply pallets wired together

No dig garden from the drone 26th May — On 26 May showing the old and new gardens, and since this photo some more covers have come off

Trial of dig bed top and no dig bottom — Dig bed top and no dig bottom, same compost given to each and so far the dig bed has given 9.3kg harvests, with 10.7kg from no dig

Springs compared

The first two photos below are 19th and 30th May. You can see new plantings of calabrese broccoli on the left of each photo, and to the right are broad bean plants. Neither are anywhere near harvest stage even now, not to mention carrots and beetroot still being very small. The third photo is 2nd June last year!

2020 was a warm spring, so it’s not a totally fair comparison. I have found over the years however, that one tends to always be looking back one year, as a kind of measuring stick. Just now, it’s painful.

19th May with the purple sprouting broccoli still cropping well, protected from pigeons by netting. The spring broccoli planting is extreme left.

30th May same view, broccoli removed, fewer covers — 30th May and the overwintered broccoli is cleared, with some courgettes planted at the far end, covers removed from cauliflower and lettuce to left, main protection is now against pests not the weather

Harvest 2020 of 2nd June calabrese cabbage carrots salad leaves, broad beans — Harvest 2020 of 2nd June with calabrese, cabbage, carrots, salad leaves, broad beans and spring onions

Under cover plantings

I hope that most of you have now managed to plant up your covered spaces, with no more threat of any frosts, except in parts of Canada! I am noticing that cucumbers I’ve planted two days ago look much healthier than ones planted 12 days ago, when it was much cooler.

The greenhouse is noticeably warmer than the polytunnel, and plants in there look stronger, especially aubergines and melons which crave warmth. In both places we shall soon harvest the garlic, around 12th June. Outdoors will be late June for garlic harvest.

19th May just after spreading the annual layer of compost and transplanting cucumbers on the right, with the last winter salad plants still cropping, a full eight months since they were module sown

The same view 11 days later, little new growth! — The same view 11 days later, and it has been too cold for the cucumbers to grow much, although now they are moving at last. Watering is by hand

30th May in the greenhouse with basil and melons on the left, tomatoes in the middle and aubergine plants on the right. More tomato plants are in the tray in front, we may not need them

Sowing methods, and varieties

Sowings now include swedes/rutabaga, carrots, beetroot for winter, lettuce, celery, cabbage, broccoli for autumn and spring (two different types – see my latest video on spring broccoli), and French plus climbing beans.

The most reliable way to sow all of this is undercover, and my latest online course 3 has a lot of details about this, for each vegetable.

Then even when you have your seeds and trays and decent compost, things can go wrong! It turns out that my Czar runner beans which I harvested last October, were not quite mature due to the damp autumn weather and a forced early harvest. The result is zero emergence from resowing them, compared to 100% germination of the borlotti beans.

In the 20 cells of this tray on the left I sowed Borlotti beans, and on the right I sowed Czar beans, both home saved

Intersown carrots for autumn are emerging from the drills we made between this garlic — Carrots for autumn are emerging from the drills we made between this garlic, and I am finding that so far the rabbits noticed them, but we shall need to cover eventually

Mixed cropping on this one bed include spinach and potatoes which will soon finish, so I have been and leek plants ready

Compost quality

The best source of compost is what you can make. Scrounge as much material as you can, especially at this time of year when there is a lot of grass and weeds, especially in rural areas. Many of you will not have access to such riches and you then need to buy compost.

Problem is that bought composts may contain unwanted ingredients, and most of you will know about the persistent pyralid weedkillers, which just don’t go away. The photo shows evidence of it in purchased green waste and mushroom compost I have been using in the new area. It looks a low-level contamination, which I suspect may be the case in many purchased composts. I just replied to a follower on FB who has it in 30 tons (!) of manure, and is being visited by Corteva.

I have sent emails galore to Corteva & others, who visited here but fobbed me off, as they do others. They blame no dig (!!!) and tell people to rotovate and dig in the manure. Their horrible poison is indeed ‘dissipated’ by soil microbes, and this works when it’s left on the surface, with the microbes undisturbed below, able to move up into it. They have even been offering people money in compensation, but one man they did not pay and he is taking them to court. Another they offered money on condition he said no more on social media. See Growth Collective on Twitter.

Just a mild dose of the pyralid weedkiller poison affecting new leaves on these plants of field beans, sown in green waste compost

Homemade compost which we are spreading now, is seven months old and turned in December — Homemade compost which we are spreading now, is seven months old and was turned once in December. The quality is much improved by having a roof over to keep off the rain, it is fully moist but not too wet, and smells sweet

New land

I apologise if sometimes I make it look too easy to grow vegetables. I know from experience that it’s not.

This spring the happenings in my new land beyond the existing garden, are a reminder of many difficulties. In no particular order we have a lot of rabbits, bindweed, and dandelion seeds. Plus I am still worried about the compost and whether, or rather how much it is contaminated by pyralid weedkiller.

Apart from one trial bed, there are no wooden sides on this plot. This video has more about that.

New land new plantings, 26th May — 26 May with potatoes emerging from the black polythene nearest to camera, first plantings of winter squash under fleece in the middle (cover now removed), and the further beds are under siege from rabbits

A closer look at the squash plants on 29th May, with a few sweetcorn between them. This area has a lot of bindweed, was pasture three months ago

To protect from rabbits we put bird netting around the pea support, but it's not working! — We put bird netting around the pea support, however the baby rabbits are managing to infiltrate this and are showing how much they love pea shoots and leaves

New polytunnel

My aim with the new tunnel from First Tunnels, is to use it for mixed planting. It’s 10 x 15′ and has a small propagating bench. The foundation tubes have foot square anchor plates in a foot-deep hole in the ground and the sliding doors are excellent. Rabbits like to run around it!

Three men needed four hours to complete this job, and now we have transplanted summer vegetables, just want to make a bottom door panel

29th May, and it will be fascinating to compare growth here with my existing polytunnel

Events!

Yes there are some, what a relief. First up, there is an afternoon visit here Sunday 6th June, with the Biodynamic Association. Tickets are available to all, you don’t need to be a biodynamic gardener. There will be interesting people here!

I am speaking at Groundswell no till farming conference in Hertfordshire, north of London, on 24th June. The event is huge and runs for three days from the 22nd. The roster of speakers is truly amazing and I feel honoured to be among them. It’s all about soil quality, low input farming and healthy food.

My next no dig talk is at Charleston garden festival in Sussex on 1st July, 3pm. A very different setting to the Cherrys’ farm! Sorry just saw when getting the link that it’s fully booked.

Jekka McVicar, the one and only, is holding a Herbfest at her farm near Bristol in early July. I am there Saturday 3rd, shall give a no dig talk. Looks a good day with interesting people and lots to see. Jekka will also be here on 15th June making a video with us about Homeacres herb garden.

It’s RHS Hampton Court, 6th-11th July, more details next time.