Here’s what to do if your vegetables are bolting in the UK heatwave

• Bolting is a common issue where vegetables like lettuce and rocket prematurely flower and go to seed, rendering them bitter and inedible.
• This phenomenon is primarily caused by environmental stressors such as prolonged hot spells, sudden cold snaps, changes in day length, or dry soil.
• To prevent bolting, gardeners are advised to maintain soil moisture through regular watering, especially in the mornings, and by mulching with materials like woodchip or hay.
• Other preventative strategies include creating shade using intercropping with taller plants, incorporating fruit bushes, or deploying shade netting over crops.
• If vegetables do bolt, they can still be consumed, albeit with a bitter taste, or they can be broken down and used as a nutrient-rich mulch directly in the vegetable bed.

IN FULL

Vegetables bolting in the summer heat? Expert gardener shares seven tips to stop this from happening