Five crops to harvest in July

There are so many crops to harvest in July, so we've picked five of our favourites. If you have a glut of fruit or veg, take a look at some of the ways to preserve your harvests. Find out which crops don't store well, too.

• What to plant in July

Discover five of the best crops to harvest in July, below.

Courgettes

You should be able to harvest your first courgettes in July. If the weather is especially wet and warm, they'll quickly grow in size, so harvest often.

Discover delicious ways to cook your courgette harvest, at BBC Good Food.

Blueberries

These lovers of acid soils produce pretty bell-shaped flowers in spring, followed by juicy blueberries in summer. Gardening in ericaceous conditions? Here are 10 plants for acid soils you could grow.

Cherries

Just as June is the month for picking strawberries, July is the month for cherries. Snip off ripe cherries with scissors or pick by hand, making sure the stalks remain attached to the cherries. No space for a tree? Here are 10 of the best fruits for containers.

Shallots

You'll know your first shallots of the season are ready to harvest when foliage is dying back. Sweeter and milder than onions, they're delicious in sauces and quiches.

Runner beans

Incredibly easy to grow, runner beans should start cropping this month,and continue providing harvests throughout summer. Pick regularly to prolong flowering.