Top grow your own fruit for July

Harvest and enjoy strawberries, this month. If birds are beating you to your crops, use netting as protection. The plants also start to produce runners (baby new plants), so keep a look out for these. Peg down the baby plants into the ground to encourage roots to form, giving new rooted plants later in the season. Alternatively, you can cut off the runners when they appear if you don’t want new plants and this will encourage the plant to produce more fruit.

For a high yielding mid-season raspberry, the large juice fruits of ‘Glen Ample’ are sure to deliver. When planting bare root canes, prepare the ground well by digging in plenty of well-rotted organic matter. Keep the base of the canes weed free, weeding gently because raspberry roots grow very close to the surface.

A popular plant for beginners and keen gardeners alike, tomatoes are rewarding to grow. For beginners, bush tomatoes are a good start because there’s no need for staking or pinching out. However, if you are growing cordon tomatoes, now is the time to pinch out sideshoots to encourage the plants to put the energy into producing fruit. When four flower trusses have formed the growing tip can be removed.

You can harvest blueberries this month for flavoursome and nutritious fruits to add to summer dishes or as a refreshing snack. Fairly compact and perfect for small gardens, they don’t demand much but do need acidic soil to grow. Gently harvest the deep blue berries, leaving to the green ones on the plant to continue ripening.