Charles Dowding, an organic gardener with 40 years of experience, has taken to social media to share which seeds you can still sow in June in order to enjoy an autumn harvest
A gardening expert has shared seed advice for late June (stock)(Image: Crispin la Valiente via Getty Images)
While it may seem too late to cultivate blooming flowers or vegetable crops this summer, a gardening expert has shared that there’s still time to sow certain seeds in time for an autumn harvest. Charles Dowding, an organic gardener with four decades of experience and 15 published books to his name, has taken to TikTok to share his latest horticultural advice.
“It’s the second half of June coming up but there are examples of seeds you can sow at different points in June,” he began in a video. Charles displayed several large seed trays where lettuce seedlings had sprouted just a week after sowing. “You can sow seeds in smaller ones filling them with standard potting mix – I don’t use special seed compost as they can often be very weak in nutrients,” he clarified.
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Next, Charles turned to celery, which he’d sown in the past two weeks. “There’s still time to grow this too,” he expressed enthusiastically.
“And you can still sow beetroot too,” Charles added, which he revealed he had also planted in recent day.
“You can also plant carrots outdoors [as opposed to in a greenhouse] or in fact any brassica,” he disclosed. “What I like to do is always have more plants than I think I have got room for – because you will find space – and you will be able to keep your garden full in the months ahead.”
Charles went on to highlight the importance of the process of interplanting – whereby planting multiple crops together in the same area maximises garden space efficiency. He has successfully used this approach with carrots and Brussels sprouts.
“It’s about thinking where you are going to put these plants, but if you want to keep the garden fuller at this time of year, you kind of don’t want to delay,” Charles stressed.
His tips struck a chord on TikTok, as one user commented on the expert’s post: “I think I’ve started following someone who knows their stuff.” Another responded with praise, saying: “Brilliant advice.”
Meanwhile, a third person keen to deepen their garden know-how queried Charles for additional guidance: “What winter veg are you sowing now?” In response, Charles pointed them towards his personal sowing timeline offering month-by-month direction.
For July, he advises: “Sow under cover by the end of the first week: kohlrabi, beetroot and Savoy cabbage. Before mid-month, sow lettuce, leaf beet, chard, endive, chicory. After mid month, sow bulb/Florence fennel, chervil, coriander, land cress, wild rocket, and Chinese cabbage.
“At month’s end in cool areas, spinach, mustards, pak choi, salad rocket, turnips. Sow outside same as under cover, and carrots until mid-July.”
Whilst in August, the expert advises: “Sow under cover: Claytonia, Oriental leaves, salad rocket, turnips multisown, and true spinach. August is fantastic for sowing salad rocket, Oriental leaves and spinach.”
Charles also recommends: “Before mid-August, sow chervil, coriander, dill, parsley and land cress, for autumn and winter cropping outside. After mid-August, sow salads to grow outside through winter. Also spring onions and spring cabbage, for harvests in spring. Sow outside same as under cover but approximately a week earlier.”
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