IT’S always swings and roundabouts when you’re growing vegetables, because some things fail to thrive. This year the beetroot didn’t plump up, due to the extreme early heat, and I lost most of the sweetcorn to a savage late frost because I didn’t wait until the first week of June before planting it out. Lesson learnt! It’s been too windy up here for the runner beans, so we have picked only a few pounds so far.
Other things have done well, though. We have harvested countless lettuces, more than 30 cucumbers, 42lb (19kg) of tomatoes, 22lb (10kg) of courgettes, 16lb (7kg) of peas, 32lb (14kg) of new potatoes and almost 20lb (9kg) of broad beans from the 8x4ft (2.4x1.2m) plots in our garden.
The trouble is that summer produces a glut of some vegetables, and if the Best Beloved makes me Jamie Oliver’s courgette carbonara again I may scream – ungrateful as it is! I prefer my winter pantry of vegetables by far and I rely on parsnips, leeks and brassicas for sustenance. I can pick them throughout winter, a little at a time, or better still, send the Best Beloved out to do the job. Stored onions, winter squashes and borlotti beans are the other staples.
Denne historien er fra October 10, 2020-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 10, 2020-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
The box ball blues
As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars
Save your own seeds
Masterclass on: seed saving
Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
Winter moth prevention
Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
Lightweight gardening tools
AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.
Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters
