π July abundance and jobs to keep your garden productive π₯¦
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Firstly, let me introduce myself. I'm Chloe, an organic market gardener for seven years and now managing Vital Seeds' social media, and helping out with admin. I'm going to be writing some of our newsletters too, and if you contact us with any growing questions it's likely to be me that'll reply! As we move towards the end of July and step into August, the celebration of Lammas is almost upon us. Lammas is a celebration of harvest abundance, a moment to reap and enjoy the fruits of your labour and share them with those you love. Why not take a moment to take stock and celebrate your successes and dedication? While you might have had a tricky start (and didn't we all, with the endlessly wet winter and slow, cold spring), you might find that there is still plenty of abundance and beauty to be found in your garden. Growing, after all, is an act of resilience. Gaps may be starting to appear in your garden as you (and slugs and other garden critters) begin to harvest. These can be filled by sowing successional crops, and now in particular is a great time to sow oriental greens like pak choi, mizuna and purple frills. For a full list of seeds that can be sown in July, please follow the link below.
Jobs to keep your garden tip top While you can definitely start to relax a little, there are still plenty of jobs to do this month including:
Germination testing It's crunch time! Our annual germination-testing marathon is now underway. We use vigorous techniques to germ test, counting how many seeds successfully germinate either on top of paper, between corrugated paper or in soil in seed trays. Each species has different requirements (e.g. temperature) and specific germination rates that we're looking to surpass, making it quite the undertaking. Our internal standards are set far higher than the minimum legal requirements, ensuring our seeds are of the highest possible quality when they land on your doorstep. β Happy sowing and growing Chloe and the rest of the team β P.S. Our 'Second Spring' seed collections are flying off the shleves but there's still time to pick one up - get your winter veg sown now! |
Vital Seeds Ltd
Finally weβre seeing some sunshine and this means one thing - ripening tomatoes! Growing your own tomatoes is one of the most rewarding things for the home gardener. After weeks of tending, nurturing and pruning you are rewarded with the most delicious, versatile summer bounty. There is no other taste quite like a homegrown tomato. Tomatoes are really easy to save seed from, read on to fnd out how. How to save your own tomato seeds Tomato seeds are easy to save. However the gel coating around...
It's here! We're super-excited to officially launch our famous "Second Spring" seed collection today :). We sell this collection every year in July and August and it's always a massive hit! We call the second half of the summer the Second Spring as there are loads of seeds which can be sown at this time, to keep you fed with tasty and nutritious veg throughout autumn and winter. Inside the Second Spring seed collection you'll find ten of our favourite varieties for sowing later in the year....
This is just a quick reminder that we are now in the short time window for sowing chicory and radicchio seeds. They are best sown between mid-June and mid-July - the first week of July is considered optimal. These wonderful and diverse crops have taken the American foody scene by storm and are now gaining popularity in the UK too. Chicories and radicchios make some of the best autumn and winter eating, adding a whole new family of flavours into your dishes, with their characteristic...