Starting from scratch in July

Got a new overgrown patch of garden in Brittany and haven't got much of a clue where to start. Wanted to try and get something out of the back end of the growing season,

Too late for potatoes ................

Have planted one small raised bed. Bought a 6ft x 6 ft Greenhouse to assemble and started a herb spiral. Foundations only. Have 4 chickens in tractor and approx 600 m 2 of chest high grass.

Sun most of the day, but two large sycamore trees do provide quite a bit of shade.

Lots of blackberry plants which I am reluctant to cut back because I think they will probably provide main harvest this year.

A few small Apple n pear trees, but only one seems to be bearing fruit this year. They were being strangled by Ivy, which I have thrown on compost heap.

Busy trying to make house habitable so not a lot of time for garden work.

Any suggestions welcome

Plant garlic, cloves, cilantro, arugula/rocket, and Asian greens like bok choi and mizuna. We moved here last July and those were what really thrived in my much-neglected garden and fed us into the winter. If your climate is mild, you can plant spinach and have it overwinter, but mine has never made good growth in the fall. And of course lettuce. I did my planting late August/early September but we had a long summer last year.

This is may be a great time to get some fall crops in. Anything that will do good in cool weather: greens, carrots, kale, broccoli, spinach, kolorabi, etc.

Coastal parts of Brittany are the equivalent of USDA zone 9.

This should give you plenty of opportunity to get in some plants that do not like hot weather before it cools down too much in the autumn.
Green peas should do well if you give them some shade until it begins to cool off.

Thanks for suggestions.

I was also planning on 'cardboard mulching covered with compost' on the 'overgrown bits.

Should I cut the undergrowth before leaving in place and covering with cardboard then compost, or just 'flatten it down. I've previously cardboard mulched over relatively short grass without cutting first, but some of the grass is chest high.

Also I am reluctant to cut back the blackberry runners because they look like they are going to produce a lot of berries. I was going to let them 'poke through' the cardboard and then cut them back once harvested. Am I being optimistic about being able to take control later?

I'd cut the overgrown bits as close to the ground as possible then lay them down (chop & drop). Re: the blackberries, they do tend to take over, it could be a difficult fight to get them out of your garden, but then again it all depends on how much you like blackberries - they are more nutritious than a lot of vegetables!

Personally, I love blackberries, but here in the PNW (Pacific North West), they are considered an invasive. Once they take over, there seems to be no way to get rid of them, other than bringing in some pigs.

If you can train them to a trellis, they are much easier to harvest, and control their overgrowth. Some blackberry jam is a wonderful way to enjoy them all year long.

Love blackberries but not the scratches. Pies and Jam hopefully through the winter

50 leeks going in tomorrow evening. We normally use a couple per week, usually with stock from chicken bones and various mixed veg. Never the same twice but always delicious !

Love blackberries but not the scratches.

Wear a pair of welder's gloves. They'll protect you almost to the elbow.

If you hurl in a few french bean seeds you might see results ... if you get a long summer/late autumn. You should get your first frost arriving quite late in that part of the world! The western edge of Europe is good for bean crops because of the rainfall.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. The Sycamores do provide too much shade in as they are on the South Eastern border so much of the Garden misses out on a lot of sun. There is a lot of land that is totally shaded under the boughs.

The Sycamores are from the next door field, but I can trim as much as I like.

Any suggestions? What can I use the cut off bits for?