"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments"

Janet Kilburn Phillips

Mother Natures Bounty!

Hi Everyone.

How's your summer been? I hope it's been a good one. Yes, we are now officially in Autumn, where does the time go!

I'm pleased to say that I'm feeling much better after my short break and I'm raring to get stuck into the second half of the veg growing year.

So what have we got in store for you this month?

What to sow and grow in September.

Can you have too much Nitrogen?

Poll results.

Rhubarb flapjacks, Yum!

The benefits of volunteering.

And lastly, Lottie news and members questions.

🥦🍅🥒🌶🍠🌽🍓🫑🫐🍐🥕

What to sow and grow in September

You may be overrun with Courgettes or Runner Beans at the moment, but there are still things you can be planting and sowing at this time of year to see you through to winter and beyond.

As the nights are beginning to draw in and the days become cooler and shorter a lot of last months suggestions* are still good to get sown or planted, but you can also start to put in your Onion sets now or sow some over wintering Onion seeds like Japanese 'Senshyu Yellow'. Perhaps you prefer Shallots or Spring Onions, all good to sow at this time of year.

Lettuce like 'Winter Density' are really hardy, also Mizuna, which has become an absolute favourite of mine, or any of the different varieties of Mustard leaves. Don't forget Parsley and Coriander that also like the cooler climes.

If you like things peppery there's Land Cress or Black Radishes and Pak Choi for your stir fries. In the Cabbage family there's Collard Greens and Spring Cabbage which will see you through to Spring. Also if you sow some quick growing Turnips you can also eat their tasty green leaves.

Lastly, now is a good time to get your Strawberry plants in. If you know someone who already has some Strawberry plants it may be worth asking if they have any spare 'Runners' (long shoots with baby Strawberry plants on the end) that you could have.

*Go to the June archived newsletter on the website.

Can you have too much Nitrogen?

Nitrogen is an important element that gives plants the energy to grow. It's essential to all life on Earth, but it can be very damaging in excess.

If you're growing organically that's great, but non-organic, synthetic fertilisers you get from garden centres can have a detrimental affect on your soil and on a bigger scale, the earth.

Click HERE for an interesting article from the Soil Association about the impacts of Nitrogen pollution.

Or click HERE to find an article I wrote last year called 'Shoots, Roots and Fruits', which helps to explain all about the mysteries of NPK fertilisers.

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Poll Results

Thank you so much to everyone who filled in the poll I presented you with last month. The question was "What is your favourite part of my Newsletter/Blog?

60% said - All of it.

20% said - What to sow & grow.

10% said - Lottie News.

10% said - How to videos.

This has given me a lovely boost to carry on researching for interesting content and hopefully pass on both some encouragement and nifty tips to growing your own food.

👍🏻💚🙏🏼

Rhubarb Flapjacks 😋

While rummaging through our 2nd hand upright freezer, specifically bought for excess produce, I came across some frozen Rhubarb from last year! 😲 So rather than have a backlog of rhubarb I decided to do something different with it as I normally just cook it with a bit of Ginger or make more jam.

Rhubarb flapjacks, not something I would of thought of doing as I'm not the most adventurous of cooks, but I was willing to give them a go. I have to say they were delicious and very moreish. However, they were also quite sweet, so if I did them again I might not put so much sugar in them. Can't for the life of me remember how I got the recipe, but here it is.

Volunteering is fun.

Do you or someone you know want to learn more about growing vegetables, seed saving, natural pest control and lots more in a friendly, relaxed environment? Would you like somewhere to go to meet new people and see what other interesting growing projects you could join in with?

Barnes Common is looking for new volunteers to help with their expanding plans at Vine Road in Barnes SW13. No experience needed, just a willingness to join in and help out. For more information please click HERE

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Lottie News!

The last two months have been a bit of a blur. The weather has been rather crazy and the foxes have been doing their best to dig up as many of my vegetables as possible! I have however still managed to harvest a lot of produce, with my first, giant Ukrainian Kohlrabi for starters.

After having several of those really hot days in June I decided to get the poly tunnel one of those maximum / minimum thermometers. I'm really glad I did because I didn't realise just how hot the tunnel got so early in the day...38C! I've now made a concerted effort to get there much earlier on sunny days to open the doors.

I thought having my 2nd early Potatoes in large tubs would be a way to keep the foxes at bay, but I was very wrong. They managed to dig up many of my spuds while knocking the containers over in the process probably looking for more eggs or another pack of chocolate digestives!

Having only had my Apple tree out of a bi-annual cycle properly for the first time this year I made sure I did a lot of thinning of the fruit, especially as there hadn't been much of a 'June drop'. Not wanting to waste theses small underripe apples they were cut up and stewed with a bit of Muscovado sugar and mixed spice. As we come into September the Apples are now much bigger and ready to pick. So far I've had just over 22 kilos of apples from this one tree, most of which are now in the freezer.

The 'Tumbling Toms' in the hanging basket experiment was a success as they ripened much quicker than my other tomatoes, but I did have to keep on top of the watering as in the heat of the tunnel they dried out very quickly. I will definitely do them next year again though.

A succession sowing of Fennel, Chard, Spinach and Spring Cabbage got underway in my greenhouse at home and I also managed to direct sow more Beetroot, Spring Onions, Carrots and for the first time some Mooli Radish. Not sure I'm going to like them though.

As usual there's been shed loads of Blackberries, but what I'm really excited with is my Cantaloupe melons. I harvested one just over a week ago and cut it open the other day...it was perfect, juicy and full of flavour and the good thing is I've got three more on the way 👏

Members Questions

How do you tell if your Sweetcorn is ready to pick?

I've been asked this question quite a few times recently. The best initial indication that your cobs are ready to pick is when the 'Silks' or the tassels that stick out of the top of the ear of corn turn brown.

If you're still not sure, while the cob is still attached to the plant stalk, pull back some of the leaves so that it exposes some of the kernels inside. Are they small and pale or are they fat and a sunny yellow? If they are still a bit pale, leave them another day or two.

You can also do the fingernail test by pushing your thumb nail into one of the kernels and if the liquid that comes out is clear then again leave them another day or two, but if the liquid comes out milky you're good to go.

If you have a food gardening question you'd like to ask just pop me an email and I'll see how I can help. I don't proclaim to be an expert, but I will do my best to answer any of your questions.

In the meantime, if you know of anyone who might like to become a FG4A member do feel free to forward them this email and get them to visit the website and sign up, it's free!

Or you can always catch up with what I've been up to on Facebook or instagram.

Keep safe.

Christine x

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