Gardener says to plant three vegetables in July for the 'best chance' of crops

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.In July, the soil is ripe for planting and the sun generously bathes the earth from dawn till dusk. According to a gardening expert, July presents the final opportunity this year to plant three specific vegetables.

Gardeners' World Magazine highlighted that July is the "last" month of the year you can plant out young courgettes, squashes and sweetcorn. They said: "Plant these early in the month to give them the best chance of cropping before the first of the autumn frosts."

There are other veggies worth sowing now for a bountiful harvest later on, reports the Express. These include lettuce, carrots, turnips, and radishes there's nothing quite like growing your own grub.

Three things to plant in July

Courgettes

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) stated that courgettes are "easy to green from seed". Usually sown indoors during spring, they need to be moved outdoors in early summer, such as July.

The RHS said: "Courgettes like a warm, sunny, sheltered spot, rich soil and regular watering, and form large vigorous plants. Regularly harvesting encourages plants to keep on cropping. If left, courgette fruits will quickly grow into marrows."

Before being planted outside, courgettes must first be "hardened" to outdoor living, so place them outdoors during the day but bring them back inside at night for a week. The RHS added: "Then the following week, leave them out in a sheltered spot all day and night."

Squashes

Before planting out or sowing seeds outdoors, prepare the ground where each squash will grow. A hole will need to be dug that is about one foot wide and deep, filled with a mix of soil and homemade compost.

Squashes also need to be acclimated to outdoor living, so they too need to be left outside during the day and taken in at night for at least a week.

Sweetcorn

Once planted outdoors, sweetcorn needs to be watered regularly until well established and mulching around the soil surface will be helpful. Mulching around sweetcorn helps to hold in moisture and suppresses the growth of weeds.

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