Latest news with #Lofthouse
Business Mayor
13-05-2025
- General
- Business Mayor
These are the fruit and vegetables you should plant in the garden next month
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Hopefully, you're enjoying the fruits of your spring gardening by now. But what about the future? June offers a prime opportunity to prepare for a bountiful autumn harvest. From leafy greens to late-season courgettes, now is the perfect time to sow a mix of fast-growing crops and summer staples. Whether your garden is a compact urban balcony or a sprawling country plot, there's something you can plant now to enjoy later. These are the plants you should be sowing in June (Alamy/PA) By June, the soil is warm and the risk of frost has passed, making it an excellent window to plant tender crops outdoors. 'June is a good time to plant out the last of the tender crops, such as courgettes and squashes, with successional sowing of beetroot, lettuce and radish,' says edibles and nursery team leader at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Joe Lofthouse. 'These are very good to fill any gaps you may have in your vegetable bed.' Quick-turnaround vegetables like radishes and lettuce can mature in as little as four to six weeks. Successional sowing of fast growers like beetroot means you can maintain a steady supply throughout the summer. 'I always do a second sowing of beans in June, planting them directly into the beds and there are a number of other vegetables that can be planted this month, such as celeriac and celery,' says Lofthouse. Longer-term harvests like celery and celeriac benefit from this warmer planting window, although they'll need consistent watering to thrive. And don't forget climbers like runner or French beans, which can still be sown directly into beds or large containers and will yield abundantly by late summer. Good options for beginner gardeners If you're new to gardening, the key is to keep it manageable. Stick to crops that grow quickly and don't require much fuss. 'I would suggest starting small and only growing what you like to eat,' says Lofthouse. 'Buying vegetable plants from a garden centre is a good option to start with as they will have a root system ready to be transferred into your vegetable garden. Root veg such as beetroots, turnips and radish are very easy to grow.' As well as these, herbs are a great low-maintenance option for smaller spaces, as they can often be grown in pots or window boxes. 'Sowing brassicas – cruciferous vegetables – such as broccoli direct into a bed in rows is also a good option,' explains Lofthouse. 'Once they are large enough to handle, dig up and plant into their final position.' Brassicas like broccoli, kale and cauliflower can be started from seed this month too – just keep an eye out for slugs, which love nibbling on young plants. You can also companion plant with marigolds to deter pests organically. The gardening techniques you should be changing Heat and water stress are two major pitfalls for summer planting. 'Avoid planting at the hottest part of the day,' advises Lotfhouse, 'I prefer to plant early morning or in the evening when it is a bit cooler. Read More Trending: Luxury Communities Bordered By Protected Nature Areas 'If sowing directly, I would always water the drills before seed sowing, or water the planting holes before planting, especially for crops like courgettes, squash and cucumbers, which require a lot of water.' Watering the plants and soil thoroughly before and after sowing helps keep the plant nourished, and mulching around young plants can help retain moisture. Getting carried away and planting too many vegetables is a common mistake ((Alamy/PA)) 'I would also recommend growing bolt-resistant varieties, as crops tend to bolt [prematurely go to seed] if under stress by warm, dry conditions,' explains Lofthouse. 'It is best to avoid planting fruit in June as they would require a lot of water.' For leafy greens like spinach or coriander, look for bolt-resistant varieties, which are bred to withstand hot weather without prematurely flowering. And while fruits like strawberries are best planted earlier in the year or in autumn, focus now on crops that will mature before the first frost. The best plants for small spaces If you don't have much space to try out gardening – don't be discouraged. Many crops thrive in pots or window boxes, as long as they receive enough sunlight and consistent watering. 'Most veg and fruit can be grown in containers, although in June onwards they will require a lot of watering,' explains Lofthouse. 'Herbs are good to grow in containers as they require less water. I also like to grow carrots and salad leaves in containers.' Salad leaves, spring onions, dwarf carrots and patio tomatoes are ideal for containers and can be harvested in stages. Read More 'Workspitality' One Pandemic-Era Legacy Likely To Last Herbs like thyme, parsley and chives are particularly suited to pot life and can be snipped as needed, offering fresh flavour at your fingertips. It's best to use multipurpose compost and opt for terracotta or glazed ceramic pots, which help retain moisture better than plastic. Overwintering plants to consider at this stage Lofthouse says it's best to think long-term by planting overwintering crops now. Winter brassicas such as sprouts, winter cabbage and kale need a head start during the warmer months to establish strong roots before temperatures drop. 'June is a good time of the year to plant out winter brassicas,' says Lofthouse. 'I like to sow leeks into a seedbed outdoors and harvest baby leeks throughout the winter.' Sow your brassicas in a seedbed or small nursery area, then transplant once the seedlings are sturdy. Leeks sown now can be harvested young or left to mature until early spring. Try and keep their rows weed-free and mound soil around their bases to encourage long white stems. Mistakes to avoid when planting later in the season There are a couple of common mistakes you should try and avoid when planting later in the season. 'The biggest mistakes are planting and then not watering, or growing a large amount of one vegetable and not being able to eat it all,' says Lofthouse, 'the plants will bolt.' It's easy to get carried away with sowing, but think practically – how much of one vegetable will you really eat? Avoid food waste and plant in small, manageable batches with succession sowing in mind to keep your harvest spread out.
AU Financial Review
07-05-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
ASX boss talks up pipeline but says volatility curtailing IPOs
ASX chief executive Helen Lofthouse is adamant there is a healthy pipeline of new sharemarket listings that will help offset any hollowing out of the exchange, but admits potential issuers are anxious about volatility. Speaking at the Macquarie Australia Conference on Wednesday, Lofthouse said heightened levels of volatility this year were curtailing listing activity.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
RAF veteran, 99, will remember friends ‘who didn't make it' on VE Day
A 99-year-old RAF veteran said he will be remembering friends 'who didn't make it like I did' through the Second World War on VE Day. Dennis Bishop, a former leading aircraftsman who saw active service in France, Belgium, Germany and Africa, visited RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Wednesday as it prepares for the VE Day flypast on Monday. Mr Bishop was presented with gifts by the crew of an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft – one of several contemporary aircraft flying in formation with their Second World War predecessors in the flypast. Speaking at the loading ramp of the aircraft, Mr Bishop told the PA news agency: 'There should be VE Days for other countries, and they should all start getting together and not beating each other, but coming together. 'For me, it's important to remember some of the poor devils who didn't make it like I did, because there are two or three old friends of mine that didn't make it.' Modern RAF aircraft, pilots and crew are preparing at RAF Brize Norton ahead of the VE Day 80 flypast on May 5. Discussing his visit to the RAF base, Mr Bishop, who is 100 in August, said: 'I didn't know this was going to happen, but a very good friend of mine secretly organised it for me. 'I'm absolutely overwhelmed with all of this, because although I'm nearly 100, it's gradually fading away now, but this has brought it all back to me again now.' Nicola Lofthouse, Officer Commanding 99 Squadron, said a 'huge amount of planning' had gone into pulling together all the aircraft. She told the PA news agency: 'There's 27 aircraft that are going to be flying down the Mall on Monday, for example, over Buckingham Palace. 'They form up over the North Sea, and then they fly direct, straight over London, timed to be there. 'So every aircraft must be there within plus or minus five seconds of their timing.' Ms Lofthouse said the aircraft would be flying at 270 knots over the Mall, which is about 310 miles an hour. The commander added that VE Day was important to 'remember the sacrifice of those who have gone before us to buy us the freedom that we enjoy today'. Ms Lofthouse added: 'It's also to remember the history and to make sure that we don't repeat some of the mistakes of the past. 'And it means so much to the serving people to feel appreciated by the public, the British public in particular, and the world in fact, who will be watching in terms of the fact that they're away from their families a lot.' Victory in Europe Day, known as VE Day, is celebrated on May 8 each year to mark the day the Allies formally accepted Germany's surrender in 1945.
