OUR resident gardening expert, TANYA PEARSON offers advice for gardeners as the days shorten and we say goodbye to the warm weather.
MY, oh, my. You just never can predict what will happen in any given year. For many, the dry summer and water restrictions meant that this year was not the best, but as I say: something is always better than nothing! But now gone are the heatwaves and the cold air is swiftly rolling in and with it, our first frost will soon be upon us. Before the frosts come, lift any maincrop potatoes that are still in the ground and store them in paper or hessian sacks. Don’t wash them – store them dirty, but do make sure they’re dry. Any damaged ones should be kept out and used up first to stop the spread of rot. All autumn leeks should also be pulled and used before any hard frosts as they aren’t as hardy as winter leeks which can sit in the ground quite happily through the winter. Keep picking any spinach and chard that you have and any kales that will also now be ready. Although the warm weather is well and truly behind us, it’s not too late to plant and sow crops for the coming winter and next spring. If you have somewhere undercover (greenhouse/polytunnel/cold frame) or have cloches you can protect outdoor plants with, then you can sow spring onions, winter lettuces, winter greens like mustard, mizuna, rocket and lambs lettuce, and winter varieties of spinach such as Perpetual or Giant Winter. Some varieties of carrots can be sown early on and grow steadily away to provide small carrots in the new year. Beetroot is also an option; it will allow you to pick its baby leaves for salads over the winter and then leave the roots to develop and have small but tasty roots in the early springtime. Winter varieties of broad beans such as Super Aquadulce can be sown now, either directly into the ground (although I don’t advise this as rodents are getting hungry now and are rather partial to beans!) or into modules and then planted out when they are 10-20cm (4-8 inches) tall. These will be ready to harvest in late spring and what’s advantageous is that the tips of the plants that the blackfly are attracted to tend to be tougher and then they usually leave them alone. Brassicas – like cabbages and kales – can still be planted out before the end of October. Be sure to firm them into the ground really well as they don’t like to be blown around. Taller varieties already in the ground such as brussels, broccoli and kales may need staking to keep them upright against the wind and the weight of their top-heavy selves. Visitors to our stall at Totnes Market and our nursery, just to let you know we are now closed for the winter and will reopen mid February. Thank you to all our wonderful customers who have supported us this year.
It’s all about the soil
COMMERCIAL farmers rotavate the soil multiple times a year, feed plants with chemical fertilisers, use weed killers, when the dry weather comes, crevices open up in the fields and when the rains come, flooding and soil erosion. Without the chemicals, the plants simply would not grow well as nutrients are constantly taken from the soil, but seldom are they given back.
The number one thing on the top of any gardener’s list should be the health of the soil and how to maintain it. This comes in many forms, primarily by adding compost (homemade or bought) or well-rotted manure to the soil, or adding green manures and digging them in. Another option – and late autumn is the perfect time – is leaf mould.
Most of us have compost bins where our food and garden waste is composted and you can add the leaves directly to your bins, but now is the time to make your own leaf mould, or “black gold” as I’ve heard to it aptly referred to as.
Either make a large wire mesh cage and pile in as many leaves as you can, or alternatively, fill black bin bags with leaves, sprinkle some water in, tie the top, pierce the bags several times with a garden fork to allow air to flow, and after eighteen to twenty four months, you’ll have beautiful fine, rich compost! Simple!