In the Garden: It’s time to harvest your bounty of veg

Autumn is most definitely in the air over the last few days, but not the autumn weather that I was hoping for, with wind and rain to the fore.

Temperatures so far are still favourable, but the wind is playing havoc with the premature leaf fall before they had time to change into their autumn coat.

There is very little that can be done about that and we shall hope for better days before the season is over!

There is lots to do in the garden as the season winds down and harvesting continues. 

The garden is always bountiful at the end of the growing season with plenty that can be stored over the winter months if space allows.

It is something that we have gotten out of the habit of considering, with these days of modern supermarkets with many types of fruit and vegetable available at all times of the year, not just seasonally.

Perhaps is it something that we need to consider for ourselves, as growing, using and storing our own food source is increasing in value as transport costs soar and the benefits of eating locally grown and seasonal produce are gaining momentum all of the time.

Onions can be dried and stored in a cool, dark space like a shed over winter, plaiting them and suspending them from the ceiling to use as needed is an attractive and space-saving option.

Root vegetables like carrots and parsnips can be stored in sand in a cool, dark location like a shed also for use over the next few months.

Main crop potatoes can be harvested before the ground becomes too difficult to work, and stored in hessian sacks.

Some apples and pears still remain on the trees and these can be carefully picked and placed on newspapers in crates in a cool and dark space for use over winter.

Winter squashes can be harvested and the skin cured in the glasshouse or polytunnel before storing in a cool, dry place for the winter, varieties like ‘Crown Prince’ will store well into the ‘hungry gap’ next year.

Be careful when storing fruit and vegetables and handle them like eggs, with great care so that minimal damage is done to the skin or flesh beneath as this will aid in their longevity.

Do not store any items with damage or bad bruising, use these as soon as possible, and do not have individual fruit of vegetables touching in crates to prevent any rot that may occur spreading.

In our climate, it is the damp that can cause a lot of rot during the winter so having a dry and well ventilated space will be important for the success of storage.

In addition to dry storage, plenty of pickling of green tomatoes, beetroot and fully ripe tomatoes can be done.

Freezing of blanched crops like runner beans is a great way of preserving that taste of summer to be enjoyed over winter, and there can be a glut of produce at the end of the season.

As well as storing summer-grown crops, there are winter vegetables that can be grown outdoors that produce right through the winter months, and while we do get quite wet winters, they are generally not too severe temperature-wise, which enables some growth during winter.

Planning for growing these crops starts during the summer months when seeds need to be sown and transplanted out into the ground to become established before the arrival of autumn.

Some of the best winter vegetables are in the Brassica family and they include kale, ‘Nero di Toscana’ is my favourite and will keep growing right through the winter until it flowers in springtime, there are many different types - ‘Redbor’, ‘Red Russian’ and curly kales are all good and add nutrition and some colour to winter meals.

Purple sprouting broccoli is a great treat to look forward to in springtime with its cut and come again sprouting flowers that can be hard to keep up with once they start producing!

Brussels sprouts are a great Christmas favourite that start producing in November and go right through until they flower in the springtime.

The great thing about the flowers of these winter brassicas is that they provide a valuable source of nectar and pollen for early flying pollinators.

Leeks are a great winter vegetable that will cope well outdoors and are a staple for soups and sauces over the winter months.

There are also winter salads like mizuna, lamb’s lettuce, rocket, mustards and asian leaves that will do well if given a little protection in the glasshouse or polytunnel. Chard will also produce well over winter given a little protection.

This year, I have brought some herbs indoors to the tunnel in an attempt to have more flavour available throughout the winter months - parsley, thyme, rosemary and winter savoury are all useful herbs to cut fresh throughout winter.

Plant of the Week

Fading fast in the vegetable garden this week are all of the lovely annual companion plants like French marigolds, calendula, cosmos and nasturtiums running to seed.

Do not forget to collect some seeds of these useful plants for sowing next year.

Most of them will manage to self-seed themselves also, but it is always good to have some seed to raise so that planting can be concentrated in areas that need them and not just left to chance.

Choose a warm, dry and sunny day for collecting seed and store in dry conditions, placing in the fridge when the seed has been cleaned and is ready for storage until next spring.