Gardening this summer has seen a mixture of weather conditions, with spells of hot dry days, some wet and windy days and even some cold nights. In the autumn it is time to harvest fruit and vegetables that won’t stand the winter and time to put the garden to bed.
Looking back over the spring and summer, it been particularly good for soft fruit. I had bumper crops of strawberry, loganberry and gooseberries, with the deep freeze well stocked with them for jam making and for pie and pudding fillings. The cabbage patch has a good selection of fresh greens including savoy cabbage and kale.
The root crops carrots, beetroot and swede – Swedish turnip to give its full name – did well. I had two root crops that failed to grow: ordinary turnips and parsnips. I will also have a good crop of leeks and spinach to pick over the winter months, for fresh vegetables for the kitchen.
Time to harvest the main crop of potatoes. In a dry summer I find Desiree the best variety to produce a good crop.
The runner beans have been disappointing, I always plant them in a sheltered spot away from the wind in the garden, but this makes it a sun trap with the strong sunshine scorching them this year.
Tomatoes once again produced a plentiful crop of fruit in the greenhouse and outdoors. I often put some in the freezer for frying. Marrows can be picked when young (therefore as a courgette), if left to reach a large size they can be stored over the winter. For one of the earliest summer vegetables, broad beans, the seed can be sown in the autumn. They say the last day of October is too early and the first day of November is too late to plant the seed.
With the winter cropping vegetables I have fresh vegetables to pick every day for the kitchen, providing there no prolonged spell of frost. With a well stocked freezer of fruit, the kitchen garden will make me self-sufficient this winter.
Image Credits: Dennis Leeds George .