I find that I tend to slow down in Autumn and take a breather, sowing slows down and it is the time of year where I sit back and enjoy harvests from the garden. Days are getting shorter, that freshness is creeping its way in, thank goodness we have had some rain and this warm, wet weather has been perfect for fungi foraging, one of my most favoured pastimes. There’s something so simplistic about foraging that connects me with the earth and accompanied by my greyhound Sophie, I am often ‘lost’ for hours collecting fabulous mushrooms. I dry and then store them for later use as drying them intensifies the flavours.
One of the best things about the garden is that there’s always something different happening, it looks different from month to month and thus the food produced is different too. In the greenhouse, tender vegetables like tomatoes, melons and aubergines are giving their final fruits, while the chillis that are often late producers, are still full and bountiful. Its been a fantastic chilli year for me, I’ve grown , dare I say, too many chillis so I am frantically processing them for storage and later use. This year I have grown the following varieties : buena mulata, jalapeno, tabasco, orange habanero, wiri wiri, pusa jwala, thai, padron, hungarian black and anaheim. I had an amusing tasting session with my husband where we both burnt our mouths off after the first two varieties! Chillis are quite versatile; They can be dried, leaving some whole and grinding some into flakes and powder; they can be frozen whole ( best to lay them separately on a sheet, then bag up once frozen), and of course they can be processed into all manner of jams, chutneys, pickles and pastes. So far I’ve made chilli jam, fermented chilli paste and pickles.
Outside, alongside swathes of beautiful late flowing cosmos, verbena, asters and dahlias are abundant harvests of squash taking centre stage. I’ve grown a lot more squash varieties this year and I have not been disappointed. The variation in colours shapes and sizes have been amazing, some are ornamental varieties making for fabulous home decoration. Beans and courgettes are coming to the end but gorgeous greens of brassicas take their place, I have kale, ‘Cavalo Nero & Nero Di Toscana’, pointed cabbage ‘Greyhound’ which is pretty much ready to harvest now, savoy ‘Vertus’ and brussels ‘ Evesham Special’ which will be ready come December. Successional planting is all about sowing and following a timeline to ensure that I can eat fresh food all year round. Alongside the cabbages, are inter plantings of fennel ‘Romascue’, calabrese and romanesco cauliflowers which will be ready early next year, so sowing little and often means I have something fresh to eat whenever I want.
Now that the tender veggies are finishing in the greenhouse, I have replaced the space they have left with things that will grow on happily through autumn but benefit from being undercover. I’ve got Mizuna, oriental leaves such as ‘Pak Choi’ and ‘Choi Sum’, spinach and mustard. I’ve also got some late herbs that don’t like it too hot, coriander, parsley and chervil to name a few. These seedlings will take me through to springtime, they grow well until December and then they are happy to stand in the colder months under cover. If you’re growing outside, which is totally possible until October, then you’ll need to cover your seedlings with horticultural fleece to protect them against the elements. Its a sound investment and will be a life saver for your plants and will ensure you get some decent harvests.
Location matters when it comes to sowing, particularly critical in the latter part of the year. People in the south have an extended sowing season and a bit longer to sow than people in the north. If you are in a cooler place, seeds need to be sown by September, warmer climates by end of September. This is so plants can be well established before winter when growth slows right down. It is still possible to sow until October if the weather has been kind but yields will be smaller so don’t expect too much, not forgetting flowers, it is a good time to sow hardy annuals now for flowering next year, some of may favourites include Calendula, Borage, Cornflower, Ammi and Nigella.
People often ask when I plant later in the year, do I use more compost? The answer is no. Well, strictly speaking I always sow into modules and plant out so of course that does use some in the trays but before I plant outside? No, I do not. My method of no-dig gardening means that I only mulch the soil once a year. This tends to be at the end of the year when beds become empty, the mulch will then sit on the surface through the winter and by spring, all I need to do is rake the top couple of centimetres and I am good to go. Mulching is the process of laying a good few inches, (2 inches minimum) of any organic matter on top of the soil and letting the microorganisms and worms break it down, digging is not necessary. Digging disturbs the soil and the underground networks under the soil that are vital for a healthy soil, leave your beds/soil alone and they’ll be a much happier environment full of healthy life for you to plant into the following year. For more info have a look at my info pages on the top of my page.
