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RHS membership

The organization

Grow your own


Gardeners' calendar

Gardeners' calendar

Gardening tasks month by month

Join the RHS

Join the RHS

Increase your confidence in the garden with personal gardening advice - join the RHS

RHS Plant Shop

RHS Plant Shop

The RHS Plant Shop stocks a range of quality plants available by mail order.

More on fruit and veg at the RHS Online Plant Shop

Jobs to do in July

Keep watering crops

Now is the time when you will start to see the reward from all your hard work. Many crops will be ready to harvest this month. With most crops it is important to pick little and often - this will keep the plants productive.

More jobs to do

Watering: Keep crops well watered, especially any grown in containers.

Hoeing: Continue to hoe off weeds in dry weather. Done in wet weather, the weeds are liable to re-root.

Stop cordon tomatoes: Cut off the main growing stem at a leaf above the fourth truss of tomatoes. This should ensure that all the fruits ripen by the end of the season.

Support apple trees: Protect heavily-laden branches against snapping under the weight of the ripening crop. Use a stake or prop to keep them upright.

Prune cherries: Immediately after harvest, prune cherries.

More jobs to do in July

Pest and disease watch

Powdery mildew

Look out for powdery mildew on cucumbers, courgettes and squash. Keep plants well watered in dry weather to prevent powdery mildew attacking.

Join our community

Chat to other gardeners on our forum

Need some advice about growing fruit and vegetables? Join our friendly forums for advice, tips, queries and general good banter about fruit and veg.

Download iPhone app

Download iPhone app

Download our Grow Your Own iPhone app now. The base version is free, and covers 20 popular fruit and veg. Or upgrade now for £1.79 to access 16 more fruit and veg profiles, calendar alerts and weather alerts.

On the plot . . . at Harlow Carr

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

This month at RHS Garden Harlow Carr the gardeners have been harvesting, thinning, sowing and trying to keep on top of watering.

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Chard in containers

Chard

Chard is pretty to look at, and also tasty to eat. Sow some seed in pots this month for cropping throughout autumn and early winter.

New book

Grow your own veg book

The RHS Allotment Handbook is new for 2010 and contains a wealth of information for anyone starting out on an allotment, as well as the old hands.