July in the garden

Last chance in July

These windows are open now and shut at the end of the month. Missing the close of a sowing window usually costs a year rather than a fortnight, which is why they are listed apart from everything else that can be done in July.

Coming up in August

Nothing here can be done yet — these are the windows that open when July ends, worth knowing about now because most of them need something ordered, cleared or prepared first.

• Sow outdoors4 plants — chervil, lamb's lettuce, rocket, spinach
• Plant2 plants — hardy cyclamen, strawberry
• Harvest9 plants — apple, celery, fig, hippeastrum and others
• Prune14 plants — apple, apricot, escallonia, hawthorn and others
• Lift and store1 plant — onion

The whole of August →