Kitchen Garden Magazine

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Under cover

The wind may blow and the garden may be soaked with November rains, but inside the greenhouse and polytunnel the elements are kept at bay. You might even need to water from time to time and will certainly need to do so if beds are significantly raised. Don’t forget about seed sowing either. The year may be approaching its end, but there are still some crops that will thrive from a November sowing.

Peas and beans

Sow early peas, mangetout peas and broad beans under cover in early November and you will be the envy of other gardeners next spring. Choose hardy varieties such as 'Aquadulce Claudia', broad bean and 'Oregon Sugar Pod', mangetout. I had exceptional crops this year from the early pea 'Misty' (Thompson and Morgan) although more traditional varieties like 'Meteor' also do well. Sow in deep pots, or tubs, and cover with a layer of bubble polythene to give seed the best chance of germination. Don’t provide any extra heat, as this can lead to weak plants that will not survive well in a hard winter. You can sow directly into the soil, but always put a few extra seeds at the ends of the row – these can be transplanted to fill gaps.

All or nothing?

A lot of crops to clear out of the greenhouse in November, but remember you don’t have to remove all plants at one go. If two basil plants look better than the rest, they may well provide fresh pickings for an extra week or so. The same goes for tomatoes. If some plants seem healthier than others – remove the worst and save the best. There is seldom the pressure for space at this end of the year and a few healthy survivors are always worth the rent.

A few roots

If you live in the south of the country, try sowing an early variety of carrot in a large pot of compost. You will have to watch out for slugs (raise the pot on a brick in a moat of water) and you will need to cover the pot with bubble polythene or a cloche for a little extra warmth, but it is perfectly possible to produce a very early crop. Seed will be much slower to germinate at low temperatures – three weeks, or even longer, is normal. It is always worth a try and if slugs eat all the young seedlings, just sow again in January.
Kohl rabi can be sown in early November in milder parts of the country. The plants will grow slowly, but they will give golf-ball size roots in spring.
Potatoes planted under cover in the summer will not survive too many hard frosts. The leaves and stems will turn brown, but the tubers should be safe and sound in the compost beneath. If you want to save these for Christmas, leave them undisturbed and they will lift from the ground as fresh-tasting as any early spud.

For much more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!

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