Feeding onions, lifting potatoes and summer pruning

After all the trials and tribulations brought on by the indifferent ‘summer’ weather and coaxing the crops to grow. We can finally look forward to enjoying the rewards of our labours. The recent mini-heatwaves will have stressed a few of the winter brassicas (and us) so keep a look out for signs of premature flowering/bolting.

The fruit and veg on the allotment will appreciate the cooler weather from now on. We may get a few hot spikes but generally with the days shortening we will have cooler evenings. It will be dark by 9.00 p.m. by the end of the month! One crop that seems to thrive on the cooler, moist conditions are the runner beans. They are well up the sticks and covered in flowers. Better clear a space in the freezer in readiness for the glut.

The main crop that needs attention during August are the onions. Don’t feed them anymore nitrogen because this will only develop soft tissue that will produce tender growth that will be prone to disease and also reduces the keeping qualities of onions. From now until lifting time feed the onion crop with a high potash tomato fertiliser. This will help the bulbs to ripen and develops healthy firm tissue that also has excellent keeping qualities.

The potato crop will take up a lot of time this month but it is safe enough leave the early and second early crop in the ground until they are required for eating. But be ready to lift some extras if a spell of wet weather is forecast. It is always better to loft potatoes when their skins are dry. Lifting the potato crop will become a more pressing task next month when the weather can really turn wet on some parts of the country. If this is the case collect enough brown paper or hessian potato sacks together and take the time to clear a space to store them.

On the fruit patch there is still time to do a bit of summer pruning on the soft fruits. Shorten the side growth along the main branches of gooseberries, red and white currants back to 3-5 buds. This will encourage the development of fruit buds for next summer. The older, darker shoots of blackcurrants that have finished fruiting can be pruned right down to soil level. Leave about 5 – 7 of the strong, new lighter shoots produced this summer to produce next year’s crop. Cut the runners joining the young rooted strawberry plants in readiness for planting out later in the month. August is the optimum month for planting up a new strawberry bed. Ideally a new strawberry bed should be planted up on a fresh site every three to four years to prevent the build-up of root viruses.

Keep feeding tomato plants removing the leaves along the main cordon up to, leaving one set of leaves underneath the current productive truss. This will improve the air circulation around the plants. Pinch out the growing tip when it reaches the glass. This will help to ripen the trusses of fruit left on the plants.