Onions from sets, as well as shallots and garlic will have matured now – gather these promptly and store in a cool, dark and dry space with plenty of ventilation. Crops from seed will be a little later, and probably somewhat lighter.
This is certainly a year when an early start from sets pays off, despite sets being more expensive than seeds. Over-wintered onions – sown now or planted as sets in late October – use winter moisture to grow and ripen in June. Unfortunately, they don’t store well so only grow enough to meet summer supplies. Sets are available to order now for late October planting. Seeds of hardy salad onions can also be sown now.
Potatoes are either maturing early or dying off from drought. Once the tops die down, lift and store as cool as you can. They won’t get any better in the soil – slugs might tunnel them when rains return and their dormancy is lost in prolonged periods in hot soil and they can start to sprout.
Shorts
Root vegetables – beetroot, carrots and parsnips – are much more drought-tolerant than other crops, especially if sown in early spring, but even these might need an occasional deep summer soak. Turnips and beetroot sown now, and thinned as soon as possible, can produce mini-roots for October and are especially water-efficient.
