Summer harvest successes

These varieties have really proven their worth, says Peter

- Peter Seabrook

WHILE the wet winter delayed outdoor sowings and then scorching summer temperatures checked growth this year, only to be saved by thunderstorms of heavy rain, there has still been a much-increased homegrown harvest. People new to grow-your-own report bumper yields and quite a task distributing surpluses to neighbors and friends.

Tomatoes have always been popular, and high temperatures have suited them, as it has aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers, melons, and the like. Two plants of Cucumber ‘Emilie’ F1 RHS AGM (DT Brown) in my polytunnel yielded up to eight fruits a day for weeks.