VEGETABLE PATCH : A leaf day calls for cool, purposeful work among salad crops. Gather lettuce and rocket early while the leaves are crisp, then sow a fresh row of rocket 0.5 cm deep, seeds 2 cm apart; thin later to 10 cm in the row, rows 20 cm. Swiss chard sown now at 2 cm deep, seeds 5 cm apart, will establish well before autumn. Leeks are worth starting under cover in trays: 1 cm deep, seeds 2 cm apart — they will be ready to plant out once pencil-thick. If basil plants are threatening to bolt, pinch out the flower tips immediately to keep leaves tender through August.
ORCHARD : Wisteria has been pushing out long summer shoots — pinch each lateral back to five leaves from the main framework to keep the structure tidy and encourage next year’s flower buds. Fig trees may be dropping small fruits now; collect them promptly to discourage wasps and prevent mould spreading to the remaining crop.