Prepare now and save it for later?
This time of year signals
the last of this seasons planting and a catch up on weeding and
harvesting whilst making some key preparations for winter and next
seasons crops.
One of my favourites is
ready early this year and that is the humble parsnip! Why not try
harvesting some of your parsnips now because with the hot spring
time, many vegetables thought it was high summer and are now well
ahead of schedule as they think its winter (and so do I). We have had
record size parsnips at up to 1.3kg. They are the symbol of first
frost harvests but are likely to spoil by the time they arrive this
year so get digging as you can always freeze it for Christmas.
Keep picking courgettes
twice weekly as soon they will start to slow down so make the most of
the smaller tender ones! If you have any pumpkins there should be
some promising ones ready for carving or eating soon as they start to
mature their orange hue.
Watch out
for caterpillars on the brassica’s and be meticulous in dispatching
any you find. Keep the sprout tops protected from bird damage as they
are edible too so why waste half a crop when they are easily netted
or surrounded by suspended CD’s?
Any ground
now fallow until spring can be layered with manure to work its way in
over winter, unless of course its going to be planted with root
crops, as they like a poorer soil. Another hard job to get on with is
turning your compost and getting it up to scratch so it’s usable next
year. There are a few flowers which can be cut and dried, my
favourite being Helichrysum ‘Bright Bikini’ as they are compact with
prolific flowering. As with any dried flowers, pick on a dry, warm
day and the next day strip excess foliage and hang upside down in a
dry, warm and dimly lit room until winter. They provide everlasting
pastel colouring to a house and is a welcome surge or warmth in the
cold dark months to follow. Including Helichrysum you can use
Anaphalis, Lavender, Statice and much more. We make a mixed posy to
sell in February when our gardens re-open to the public.
One thing
I spend most of my free time doing at the moment is producing an
array of chutneys which include, apple, pear, beetroot, runner beans,
tomatoes. These go with so many things, most favourable is cheese on
toast and will last you until next season, or probably not in my case
as they are so popular. Also at the moment I am helping collect the
hive supers to extract the honey harvest which hasn’t been as
abundant as other years due to the rainy weather, but still of
highest quality none the less. 
It goes to
show that if you are efficient in your use of space you can provide
some tasty fresh produce to eat right away and enough left to make
delicious accompaniments to food over winter and spring to start all
over again.
