TOP JOBS FOR SEPTEMBER

ESSENTIAL TASKS FOR YOUR VEG PATCH AND PROTECTED CROPS

- BEN VANHEEMS

FILL THE LARDER!

September is a time of crossover, when summer staples like beans and courgettes are still coming thick and fast, joined by the first of autumn's abundance.

The biggest job is simply keeping on top of the harvesting. It may feel like the good times will never end but spend some extra time now processing all those gluts and you'll be so pleased you did when the leaner months come. Pickle, dehydrate, freeze, bottle or cook up into sauces - you have many options for putting away some of the excess for later.

Savour the last of the sweetcorn and tuck into the first of the maincrop potatoes. Also ready to harvest are the very earliest leeks, the start of the kale, as well as the first of the hardy roots and tubers, including celeriac, parsnips and Jerusalem artichoke.

With both summer and winter flavours to sample, this is a very special moment and just reward for all those hours of hard work.

PLANT SPRING CABBAGES Set into firm ground in rows 30cm (1 ft) apart. Space transplants 15cm (6in) within the row. In spring you can thin every other plant to enjoy as greens, leaving the rest to heart up.

CLEAR SPENT CROPS Lift up old crops and pick off dead leaves to keep things clean and tidy. Add everything to the compost heap. Dig out mature compost to make space.

HELP SQUASH RIPEN It's the final push for winter squash and pumpkins. Lift developing fruits off the soil on to slates or tiles to stop them rotting. Keep applying a liquid feed.