Veggie Plants to Sow and Pick in August

 Pick your crop when it's young and tender. not like these peas!

Did you know that Dutch scientists have grown radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes in soil similar that found on Mars? The scientists concluded the edibles were safe to eat and didn’t contain any dangerous levels of heavy metals.

 

I didn’t know that and I am not really sure why I find the fact so interesting. It must be something to do with the realization that we can grow edibles in even the harshest and uninhabitable of places in soil that you would think was dust. It reminds me of the islands were farmers grew their spuds in rock cracks filled with seaweed. 

It also highlights that healthy nutritious soil is the most important factor when starting a garden. It could be said that the best fertiliser for the soil is the gardener's shadow; I’s also add that plenty of mulching helps too. 

It might seem like the edible gardening year is about over. I do hope not as my luffa’s haven’t even formed yet. There are loads of crops to either sow or plant at this time of year though so we can be kept busy and distracted from grass cutting.

Plants to Sow

Herbs such as basil, coriander and rosemary can be started off in a greenhouse or on the windowsill.

Lettuce. Our lettuce is actually growing better in the cool damp (wet) weather than it was in the harsh sunlight. Winter varieties can be started under cover.

Pak choi. This is another plant that likes the cooler weather and loves the early autumn conditions.

Radishes. No one in our house eats radishes apart from the dog but they can be a fun crop and you can have them mature in less than eight weeks.

Spring cabbage. Sow now and these will give you early crops next year.

Spring onions. You can  pinch the leaves from these from now until spring.

Peas. If you just want the fresh pea tops then you can plant some under cover and pinch away.

Garlic and onions can be planted now too.

Picking Early

There are some instances where I leave the vegetables far too long before harvesting. The first plant that springs to mind is the sweet corn. Year after year I wait just that bit too long and the corn has gone woody. I sometimes leave my spinach and lettuce too long and these go to seed turning the leaves bitter.

Picking the veggies early is a luxury us growers have as we don’t need them to wait until “optimum selling size” like the shops do.  Because of this I would say that you could harvest tiny Brussels sprouts now for a few delicious stir fries. There are others that will bebefit from not leaving too long in the ground too.

Beetroot. You can thin out the rows to allow others to mature.

Broccoli. I usually leave the whole plant until spring and eat the florets but this year I am enjoying some of the young leaves. The same goes for kale.

Cabbage. Get them now before the slugs do.

Carrots. These can be thinned out too and put in the stir fry.

Caluiflower. These discolour quickly after maturing.

Celery. Pick before the stems turn yellow so pick them when they are tight and white.

Courgette. Pick when young as they seem to grow 3” a day and before you know it you have a marrow worthy of a prize in a giant vegetable competition.

Runner and French beans. These can get a bit stringy when too old.

Onions. Get them when the stems start to wild for a crisper bulb.

Peas. Get them young too. When the peas have filled the pods I think they get a bit dry and flavourless as the sugars turn to starch.

Radishes. My dog doesn’t mind the old ones but I wouldn’t entertain them.

Tomatoes. These get a bit mushy when left too long so pick as they turn red for the optimum sweetness.

Turnips. These get really woody if left in the ground too long, especially the small golf ball types. Get these too before the grubs do.