Fruit and veg job checklist - week 31

29 - 4 August 2013

It's time to...

Shorten sideshoots growing from the framework of espalier, fan and cordon-trained fruit trees back to about five leaves from their base
Pick fresh herbs for drying
Pick gooseberries, currants, strawberries and other fruits as they ripen
Support heavily laden branches on plums, apples and pears with wooden props
Water fruit to increase yields then cover the soil with a mulch, such as grass cuttings, to conserve the moisture
Water strawberry runners, cutting them from the parent plant when well rooted
Sow dwarf French beans for a late crop
Prune out fruited canes of raspberries
Spray gooseberries against sawfly attack and to prevent powdery mildew
Sow vegetables such as endive, lettuces and salad leaves, rocket, beetroot, radishes, spring cabbages, kohl rabi, Swiss chard, winter spinach, Oriental greens, chicory