May the force be with you
Think about your crop rotation plan as you dig and weed the vegetable border. It helps to divide the plot into sections. Now is the time to force rhubarb, chicory and seakale and to lift Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips for storing.
If you can sow under glass, in a frame or greenhouse, try carrots, onions and radishes, French beans, lettuces, mustard and cress.
Plant fruit trees or if space is limited why not grow some standards on a patio for a crop of apples, cherries, pears and plums next year? You can lift and store leeks in a bucket of compost in the greenhouse or shed. They are best lifted after a good frost.
Seasonal crops include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnips and spinach. If you haven’t grown these and want a harvest next year consider them in your rotation plan.
- Plant fruit trees and bushes
- Protect cauliflowers
- Keep chicory that is forcing at about 13°C (55°F).
- Prune back early and maincrop vines
- Firm down new plantings that have lifted in frost
- Plant new blackberry canes and prune old ones