so get raking.
After the hectic pace of summer, most gardeners appreciate being able to get on with the simple tasks of cleaning and tidying up during autumn and early winter. Every windy day brings more fallen leaves, but even though it’s hard work raking and sweeping them up, any sense of being overwhelmed by a horticultural “to do” list has long gone. Leaves raked off the lawn can be used to cover the soil in newly trimmed and tidied beds and borders. Surplus leaves should be turned into leafmould because, like peat, it’s such a great soil conditioner, adding humus to light soils and keeping heavy soils open and aerated.
But there’s another, even better way to use leafmould. Like peat, it is said to be low in nutrients, but trials at Ryton Organic Garden have shown that crops grown in soil protected by a mulch of leafmould over the winter outperform crops grown in soil which had been protected by a sowing of green manure. Could it be that leafmould promotes some beneficial microbial interaction? Whatever the underlying reason, spread a layer of leafmould over the soil in the vegetable garden after you’ve harvested the summer crops and cleared the remains into the compost bin. (But remember: don’t compost any plant material that shows signs of disease – burn it, add it to green waste for collection or take to your local waste recycling centre).
Another important task at this time of year is lifting root crops before the ground freezes. Turnips, beetroot, carrots and swede should be stored in a cool, dark place. Checking regularly and removing any which are rotting will help to avoid major risks to the whole crop.
Early brussels sprouts are starting to ripen – pick them from the bottom of the stems and throw them into salted boiling water right away, just long enough to soften them. Overboil them and they turn into the traditional soggy, bitter nightmare that puts people off for life; they should still be a fresh green with a bit of a crunch to them. Add a pat of butter, and enjoy.
An alternative to composting in a bin, heap, or wooden pen, is a compost trench. Dig a trench to the depth of one spade, and heap the soil on one side. Empty your kitchen compost into the trench, covering it with soil right away to prevent scavenging creatures becoming a nuisance.
Next spring, plant runner beans on top of the trench and watch them romp away. There’s no need to wait until spring to plant garlic, but don’t try planting leftover cloves from the kitchen as they’re probably a variety from sunnier climes, and may also harbour disease. To get a June crop, plant extra hardy broadbean cultivars such as Super Aquadulce, Aquadulce Claudia, and Imperial Green Longpod, if you have well drained soil. Peas can also be sown – look for round seeded, hardy peas such as Douce Provence, Feltham First, Meteor and Pilot. If you tried this last year and nothing came up, mice may be the culprits. Hang a bird feeder up some way from the vegetable garden and hope to distract them with the inevitable seed scattered on the ground.
And talking of birds, now is a good time to take down any nesting boxes, scrub them and replace so that they can be used as roosting shelters in bad weather.
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