Page 30 - ALG Issue 3 2018 (printable)

Regular
Seasonal jobs to do...
September, October & November
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GENERAL
As the growing season begins to slow down, harvesting is the main priority this month. All crops intended for keeping overwinter must be dry
and undamaged. Aim to lift maincrop potatoes, beetroot, carrots and onions for putting into store
before the autumn rains arrive. If crops are lifted wet they can be dried off under cover in a greenhouse, shed or garage. Use paper sacks for the potatoes and nets for the onions. The beetroot and carrots should be kept in damp sand or old potting compost.
Make a point of clearing the plot as you go, removing all roots, leaves and unwanted crops. With all the trimmings and other green plant waste generated at this time of the year, it is a good time to make a new compost heap.
OUTSIDE
Stake Brussels and broccoli, earth up soil around base to provide extra support against winter winds. Feed leeks with a general fertiliser. Prepare onions for lifting by carefully sliding a garden fork underneath the base of the bulb and gently lifting it
to snap the roots. This will encourage ripening.
Plant – Transplant spring cabbage, planting them close together
(easier to cloche) and harvesting every other cabbage as collards/ spring greens next year, allowing the remaining plants to grow on to full size.
Harvest – Beans, beetroot, carrots, Florence fennel, kohlrabi, summer kale, lettuce, onions, potatoes, radish, spinach, summer squash, sweetcorn, Swiss chard. In some areas it is possible to have a night frost this month that will hit the courgettes, squashes and pumpkins so be prepared to pick or protect them with fleece.
SEPTEMBER
Fruit – Clean up strawberry plants
and beds. Plant out rooted strawberry runners and new plants. Prune summer fruiting raspberries down to soil level.
Tie in strong, healthy canes produced
this summer, spacing them 8cms apart removing
all of the other
unwanted canes.
Prune blackberries,
removing the old fruited canes. Leave pruning the autumn fruiting raspberries until next February. Prune standard apple and pear trees. Formally trained fruit trees are pruned late July and August.
Harvest – Pick early apples and last of pears. Use them straightaway as they won’t keep more than a couple of weeks. Pick last of the summer soft fruits. The first of the autumn raspberries should be ripe enough for harvesting as well.
GREENHOUSE
Remove shading. Ventilate during the day, closing up late afternoon. Avoid watering after midday if possible to allow the greenhouse atmosphere to dry out. Start to clear tomatoes (green toms can be ripened indoors – ripe banana) and cucumber
(aubergines/peppers) plants. Start to clean up the greenhouse to prevent build of Pest & Disease risk to overwinter plants. Line greenhouse with bubble plastic. Sow cauliflowers and lettuce to overwinter under protection.
Harvest – Aubergines, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. These crops will slow down in production this month.
PESTS & DISEASES
Blight on tomatoes, downy and powdery mildew. Rots setting in on damaged and over-mature produce.