Vegetables
At this time of year, potatoes can be earthed up easily when the soil has been softened by rain.
Potatoes can be grown successfully without this step, but hoeing the soil from between rows on to the bases of the plants prevents the tubers from being exposed to air and turning green. Green potatoes have high concentrations of a glycoalkaloid poison, solanine, and should never be eaten.
Mounding up should be done before the plant tops are too large and likely to be damaged during the process.
Maincrop potatoes, such as Red Rascal, Heather and Agria, can be planted and good crops should be produced in soils that retain moisture through to late summer.
Onions sown now will not grow to full size, but will produce bulbs large enough for pickling. Make the ground rich and firm and sow in shallow drills.
Autumnsown onions should be growing well and will be helped by an occasional watering with liquid manure and a topdressing of sulphate of potash.
Runner beans live up to their name and growth should now be rapid. If not planted against a fence or trellis, or on a bean tepee, they will have to be staked. Put tall (2m) sticks on either side of the row and tie string along about halfway up and also near the top.
Earthing up on either side of the plants helps them stay in place in windy conditions. Keep the roots moist and cool with plenty of water. Lawn clippings can be used as a mulch but make each layer thin (1cm), as otherwise too much heat will be generated.
Peas can be staked but growing against netting is more effective for tall varieties. Staple netting to several tall, strong stakes, leaving the lower 40cm or 50cm below the netting. This makes a movable fence that can be used for peas year after year.
As the first tiny broad bean pods appear, the tip of each stem can be nipped out to help give a better crop. The green tips of the plants can be eaten in stirfries.
Rhubarb plants will weaken if too many stems are picked at once, so take no more than a third of the leaves at any time. Rhubarb likes cool roots and is a greedy plant, a gross feeder in gardening jargon, so keep it well watered in dry weather, and work some compost around the base before watering.