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.
