Page 40 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2024

Prune blackcurrants by cutting out
weak shoots and about half of the fruited branches. Gooseberries and red and white currants are all pruned the same way. Cut out branches growing towards the centre and prune the rest back by half. With blackberries, cut out branches that have fruited and tie the others to their supports.
You can use some of these pruning’s as cuttings if you want more plants. I told you the method of doing so last month.
I told you last month to cut down Chrysanths when they had finished flowering and box up the stools. They will need doing this month if not done before.
The same applies to dahlias. I told you last month about how I prepare the tubers for winter storage. If you live in a mild part of the country, you can take a chance
and leave them in the ground, possibly protected with a thick mulch. Their survival depends on what kind of a winter we get. Personally, I don’t think it is worth the risk. It is much safer to dig them up and keep them somewhere safe and frost free over the winter.
Another job you can do this month is to collect leaves and make leaf mould which is a valuable addition to the soil. Most leaves will have come off the trees
Swedes
by now so rake them up. You can make an enclosure to store them in using wire netting or you could keep them in sacks. They take longer to rot down than other green material, but it is worth the wait.
Last month I mentioned cutting down asparagus foliage when it turns yellow so continue to do this if not done before.
If you are growing chicory to form chicons they need to be forced. Just do a few at a time. Lift the roots, cut back the foliage and plant them in large pots or boxes with their tops just showing. Keep them somewhere warm and cover them with an upturned bucket to exclude light.
Congested clumps of perennial flowers can still be dug up and divided but do it
Roses cut in November
soon before the frost comes. If you want
to increase your stock further of any perennials you can take root cuttings. Cut some of the roots into sections between 2 and 5 inches long (5 to 12.5 cm) and plant them in pots of compost to their full depth but see that you keep them the right way up. Put them in the greenhouse if you have one but they don’t need extra heat.
Many crops will be finishing now so clear them away onto the compost unless they are diseased. I wrote about composting in detail last month so please refer to those notes. Then take every opportunity to clear the ground, forking it over and removing weeds.
December
Not many seeds need sowing this month, but you can still sow herbs and microgreens on the kitchen windowsill either in pots, small trays or cell trays. There are several types of microgreens, and you can get them from any seed catalogue.
Most people including myself don’t sow onions and leeks till January or February, but some exhibitors sow them this month, particularly if they want large onions. If
you want to do so, sow them in trays of multipurpose compost. Level the compost and water it. Seeds of both onions and leeks are large enough to space out so sow them about an inch apart (2.5 cm.) and cover them with fine compost. you had better wait for warmer weather next year before you sow them. When the seeds germinate, you will need to transfer them to small pots or cell trays, and they will need to be kept fairly warm.
This is the traditional month for planting shallots. I never have any ground ready
for planting at this time so I plant them
in three and a half inch (9cm) pots in the greenhouse. They need planting with their tops just showing above the compost. They don’t need extra heat, so I just leave them on a greenhouse shelf.
We are, of course, in the middle of the dormant season when bare root fruit trees and bushes can be planted. However, at this time of year the ground isn’t always
Cabbage ready for harvesting
fit for planting. It is often too wet or frozen. If you have any for planting, just wait till the ground is workable. If any arrive from a supplier when the ground isn’t fit for planting just heel them in temporarily somewhere until it is.
Whenever the ground is workable, take every opportunity to clear finished crops and fork over the ground and remove weeds. You may have some root crops still in the ground such as carrots, turnips and
40 Simply Vegetables
Empty greenhouse showing large propagator and three warming benches