The next few weeks are a good chance to get on top of things in the veg patch before colder, wetter weather and darker days arrive. There’s much to be done in the way of harvesting, planting and storing your veg as well as a few little jobs.
Planting
There are just a few days left to plant your autumn and winter veg. We really recommend getting your plants in the ground over the next week to give them a chance of setting their roots down before the weather turns.
Harvesting
Over the next week or two you should be able to harvest and clear away the last of beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, courgettes, squashes and summer salad plants. Pull up summer swede, turnips, carrots and beetroots before frosts. It’s a good idea to harvest main crop potatoes now rather than leaving them in the ground for the slugs (but you can leave them longer if you like).
Growing
Leave celeriac and parsnip to keep growing (they’ll taste better after a few frosts). Leeks can stay in the ground until you’re ready to use them. Cabbages, broccoli, sprouts and other brassicas planted over the spring/summer will keep growing over the next few weeks.
General jobs
This is a good time of year to get a compost pile on the go with any old plants from the veg patch. You can also rake up fallen leaves to make a leaf mould mulch for next year.
Empty beds can be covered for the winter, ideally with a thick layer of well rotted manure covering the soil and then something like a polythene sheet over the top. Pots and containers should be emptied out, washed and put away.
It’s worth doing a bit of light weeding around growing crops as well, using a hoe or hand fork.