Now, in high summer, no-one would like to think about the approaching autumn yet. However, if you would still like to be supplied with fresh vegetables when summer is over, now in July is the last chance to sow vegetarian delicacies such as lamb's lettuce, cauliflower, Diakon radish or beetroot. As soon as space has become available again in the vegetable patch, or if you have empty patches anyway, you can start sowing.
Lamb's lettuce can already be harvested in October if you sow it in July already. As lamb's lettuce is winter-hardy up to -15 °C, however, it can also be sown as late as August or September. Lamb's lettuce is rich in vitamin C and thus provides a healthy, delicious salad base in autumn. The seeds are scattered from the seed bag in furrows approx. 2 cm deep. Then cover the seeds with soil again and water well. The seeds take approx. 2 – 3 weeks to germinate, until harvesting approx. 12 weeks. So that your lamb's lettuce is not infected with mildew, it is worthwhile planting robust varieties such as “Rodion”.
Cauliflower can be sown from mid-June onwards. Choose a warm, sunny location with good, humus-rich soil. To sow, press two seeds into the ground approx. 5 x 5 cm apart and one centimetre deep and cover them with soil. When the germ buds are 3 cm high, the weaker of the two is pulled out so that the stronger plant has more room to grow. As soon as the cauliflower heads are as big as a fist, you should protect them from the sun so that they do not become yellowish and grey. To do this, simply bend the edge leaves inwards. The cauliflower head is thus protected from the sun and remains nice and white and thus tasty.
At the beginning of July it is time to sow later radish varieties such as “Münchner Bier” and “Round Black Winter”. The seeds should be sown 1 cm deep and 15 – 25 cm apart. A nutrient-rich, moist soil provides optimum conditions for the radish. After germinating, the delicate plants must be separated. With late varieties, the distance between the radish plants should be at least 30 cm. Do not forget to water regularly in the cultivation phase!
Beetroot has one advantage over other types of vegetables: The red vegetable is ideal as a catch crop in the vegetable patch and grows very well in locations where pulses or kohlrabi has previously been grown. The soil should be permeable, rich in nutrients and not too acidic. Sowing is possible from the end of May and harvest time is from October onwards. If the seeds are sown very close together, it is necessary to thin out the rows of seedlings, so that the strongest plants have enough space. The soil is to be kept constantly moist, as otherwise the leaves quickly become limp. It is possible to harvest beetroot from a bulb diameter of three to five centimetres. Small bulbs generally taste more delicate and aromatic but are more difficult to handle.