October in the vegetable garden

Expect everything in October, one hopes! Summer-like harvests of tomatoes and peppers, autumn cauliflower and cabbage, and tastes of winter to come such as parsnip and celeriac.

However, ‘on October 10th, the devil spits on the blackberries’. Short days and low light levels cannot sweeten fruits after that time.

Therefore, any remaining tomatoes are best picked in early October. Grade out the ones showing even slight colour, because you can finish their ripening very successfully in your house. Not in sunlight, which would soften them instead of the gradual maturing we want. That can take up to six weeks. And green tomatoes can be turned into chutney.

Harvest morning, October

Garlic

When grown under cover, garlic leaves do not suffer nearly as much rust as when it’s grown outside. I’ve been puzzling over the reasons for this for a decade and more.

Social media comments from around the world help me to understand. Such as the farmer from Uruguay who asked, “What is this new disease?”. That was two years ago and it was the first time he had ever seen rust on garlic. It makes me think that rust spores are even in the rainfall. They develop most vigorously in damp springs, because the rust seems to need water on leaves to grow. Therefore, garlic plants suffer less rust in a polytunnel or greenhouse, out of the rain. You can grow them in large containers too.

Do keep making lots of compost! Many materials become available as we clear plants from the garden. The composting process works better if you can chop anything woody into lengths no more than 10cm. You need either a sharp knife, secateurs, a lawnmower, or a shredder. The latter is a worthwhile investment for larger gardens.

To find out more about the No Dig method, or for further information, go to: www.charlesdowding.co.uk.

join us for £3/month to read more articles!

This is an excerpt of an article featured in the latest issue (Summer/Autumn 2024) of our members’ magazine The Pod.

To read the full piece and more fantastic articles, please sign up to become a member of the Vegetarian Society and get your copy of our Summer/Autumn 2024 magazine! Joining us costs as little as £3 a month.