Summer in the Productive Garden

Supporting Healthy Growth 

By the time midsummer arrives, the Productive Garden at Heligan is in full rhythm. The beds are heavy with growth, pathways are scented with herbs, and every gardener is kept busy tying, watering, feeding, and harvesting.

This is the season of abundance-but it's also a time of careful stewardship. With long daylight hours and high temperatures, plants grow fast-but so do weeds and pests. At Heligan, summer is about maintaining balance and encouraging healthy, continuous production.

We spend our mornings inspecting plants for signs of stress or crowding. Tomatoes are pinched out to concentrate their energy, peas are harvested regularly to keep them flowering, and courgettes are checked daily to prevent them turning to marrows overnight.

Feeding is critical. Comfrey or nettle teas are used as liquid fertilisers, boosting the nutrient supply for heavy croppers like squash, cucumbers, and beans. Beds are mulched to retain moisture and suppress weeds-a technique that reflects both tradition and sustainability.

Pollination is also a focus. Insects do much of the work, but planting flowering herbs and companion species ensures there's plenty of activity around crops like courgettes and tomatoes. At Heligan, borage and calendula often line the borders, buzzing with bees by mid-morning.

Watering is methodical-done early or late to reduce evaporation, and directed deep into the roots. Terracotta pots, water butts, and sunken clay ollas are sometimes used to supply moisture slowly and efficiently, echoing older watering methods used in kitchen gardens across Europe.

The summer garden is not just a place of harvest-it's a workshop of constant care. Supporting healthy growth means anticipating the plants' needs and responding to the weather's rhythm. It's demanding, yes-but deeply rewarding, especially when your basket comes back full and fragrant.