In July you can still sow plenty in England: beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, chard, spring onions, turnips, kohlrabi and pak choi go straight into the bed, and leeks, winter brassicas and sprouting broccoli go out as young plants. July is also the last month the RHS gives for sowing French and runner beans, and then only in the south of England.

Illustration of a midsummer raised bed with early potatoes being lifted at one end and a fresh row of seedlings sown at the other
IllustrationIn July, ground cleared of early potatoes or garlic can take a second crop of roots, salads or winter greens.

Midsummer is when early crops finish and space opens up. Lift first early potatoes or garlic, and that ground can grow a second crop of roots, salads or winter greens. Here is what to sow and plant, the jobs that matter in hot weather and the sowings that end this month.

At a glance: what to plant in July

TaskCropsSource
Sow indoors or under coverNone needed: the RHS July list is all outdoor sowingRHS
Sow outdoorsBeetroot, carrots (under fleece), lettuce, radish, chard, spring onions, turnips, kohlrabi, pak choi, Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, tatsoi, mizuna, fennel, autumn and winter saladsRHS
Plant outLeeks, winter brassicas, sprouting broccoliRHS; Sowstory
HarvestFirst early and second early potatoes, garlic, broad beans, peas and mangetout, runner and French beans, courgettes, outdoor tomatoes and cucumbers, calabrese, cauliflowerSowstory harvest windows; RHS

Sow indoors

Nothing on the RHS July list needs starting indoors. The heat is the challenge now: the RHS notes that lettuce germinates poorly in hot spells, so sow in the evening, water the drill with cold water and shade the row until the seedlings appear.

Sow or plant outdoors

Roots

  • Beetroot. July is the end of the RHS outdoor window and of Sowstory's. Our beetroot growing guide covers multi-sowing and bolting.
  • Carrots. The RHS sows carrots until early July and suggests fleece in July against carrot fly. Short-rooted types also end in July in Sowstory's windows. See how to grow carrots.
  • Turnips and kohlrabi. The RHS lists turnips for July; Sowstory lifts baby turnips small, about six to ten weeks after sowing. July is the last month for kohlrabi in Sowstory.

Salads and leaves

Lettuce, radish and spring onions can all be sown. Loose-leaf lettuce is ready in about four to six weeks, and the RHS sows lettuce outdoors until late July. Lettuce bolts in hot, dry weather, so give summer sowings light shade and water regularly.

Chard is in its last month in Sowstory. Gardeners' World includes July sowings of chard to crop in spring, as well as kale, winter cabbage and spinach. Sowstory leaves spinach out of midsummer and brings it back in August.

Oriental leaves and spring cabbage

The RHS sows pak choi, tatsoi, mizuna, Chinese cabbage and spring cabbage in July. Sowstory sows pak choi in succession from May to August. Its cabbage profile is a compact summer cabbage, so spring cabbage is not in its plans yet.

Beans: last chance in the south

The RHS treats July as the last chance for French and runner beans, south of England only. Sowstory starts its bean rows in May or June, so a July sowing is outside its plan.

Plant out leeks, winter brassicas and sprouting broccoli

The RHS plants out leeks and winter brassicas in July. Sowstory's leek window is May to June, so July planting is later than it plans. Sprouting broccoli goes out in July or August: Sowstory puts it on the north edge as a tall crop, allows about 60 × 60 cm per plant and reserves the space until the harvest from February to May next year. Our broccoli growing guide explains the types.

In a Sowstory plan this month

These are the crop profiles Sowstory lets you start in the bed in July, with their windows:

  • Carrot (early and medium-rooted): March to July
  • Short-rooted carrot: April to July
  • Beetroot: April to July, sown direct
  • Chard: March to July
  • Kohlrabi: March to July outdoors
  • Radish, loose-leaf lettuce, head lettuce and spring onion: March to August
  • Baby turnip: April to August
  • Pak choi: May to August, in succession
  • Sprouting broccoli: sown March to May, planted out July to August

Sowstory's windows are England-wide months and are not adjusted to your postcode, so in a hot or dry spell, or late in the month in the north, judge the conditions before sowing.

If you are planning what follows your potatoes or garlic, Sowstory will lay out the bed to scale and give you a month-by-month plan, including succession sowings where supported. It is coming soon to the App Store, and your first bed plan is free.

Jobs this month

  • Water deeply in the morning or evening.
  • Stop cordon tomatoes. The RHS pinches out the top above the fourth truss outdoors; Gardeners' World says four to five trusses.
  • Check potatoes and tomatoes for blight. On potatoes, once about a quarter of the leaves are affected, cut the stems at soil level and lift the tubers about two weeks later.
  • Lift early potatoes when the flowers open or the buds drop and the tubers are about the size of a hen's egg. The RHS harvests first earlies from June to July and second earlies from July to August.
  • Lift garlic when the leaves turn yellow. The RHS lifts autumn-planted garlic from late spring to early summer; Gardeners' World says from July. Leaving it too late makes bulbs split.
  • Check peas for pea moth: caterpillars are found inside pods from late June to August.

Last chance

July is the final month in Sowstory's windows for beetroot, both kinds of carrot, chard and kohlrabi. Radish, lettuce, spring onions, baby turnips and pak choi carry on into August, and spinach returns then. Tender crops are long past their planting month, and autumn frosts come early in the uplands (Met Office averages for Shap in Cumbria include air frosts in September): our guide to the last frost date explains how the risk varies around England.

For what should already be growing, see what to sow in June; for the next round of quick crops, see what to sow in August. The vegetable sowing calendar shows the whole year.

Sources