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Undercover

September sees autumn roll in at the door. It may not seem that way if fine weather greets the start of the month, but days are shortening, night temperatures are dropping and we may see the first frost before the month is out.
The harvest should be bountiful in the polytunnel and greenhouse and many summer crops will continue for weeks if the weather allows. Be vigilant for signs of disease, clear failing plants and fill empty spaces with winter crops.

Hot tip for the month

It is perfectly possible to have a supply of fresh fennel bulbs to eat through the winter. These make a wonderful and somewhat exotic change from the greens that we usually associate with the winter months.

Fennel sown in early August should be ready to harvest in mid winter. Early September sowings will make slower growth, but will still produce a spring crop that stands well into April, or May. Cold doesn’t seem to be an issue – I have had plants survive sub-zero temperatures in an unheated polytunnel and they still go on to produce good fleshy bulbs. Plants may stop growing for a while and one or two may fail, but it is certainly worth a try.

Sow seed in cells of good compost. Germination should only take a few days at 15-20C (60-68F). Don’t let seedlings dry out and plant out into a damp rich soil when they are 10cm (4in) tall. Fennel doesn’t suffer ill effects from transplanting, provided roots are kept as intact as possible and plants are not permitted to become root bound.

Clearing space and planting out

Clear away failing plants as soon as cropping slows to a point where it ceases to be useful, or if disease becomes a liability. Space is more important than waiting for a last straggling fruit to ripen and winter crops need to get their roots in the ground. Sweetcorn and pumpkins should both finish in September.

Remove these to clear enough space, so July sowings of spinach, Swiss chard, winter lettuce, kohl rabi etc can be planted out. Sprouting broccoli plants, grown on in pots, will be very large at this point. They need root space as soon as possible if they are to produce an early crop. Plant 60cm (2ft) apart in the border soil.

Don’t add any extra feed – they will do well enough on what is left behind from the previous crop. Scatter lime, or wood ashes, on the surface if soil is acid. Sowings of salad leaves such as mizuna, rocket etc can go straight into the border soil. They also do very well in large pots and containers.

Basil

The basil patch can be an unruly affair in September and plants will look very sorry for themselves if there is an early frost. Keep picking as hard and often as you can while the leaves are green. It is hard to nip out the tops fast enough to beat the plants’ urge to flower, but do the best you can as it keeps flavour at a peak.

 

Cucumbers

The earliest-cropping cucumbers will be exhausted by September and may start to look ill, even though their May-sown sisters can be in full health. Pull out exhausted plants and leave the later sowings to crop into October. Remember to keep earthing up round the base of the stem. Water regularly and apply a liquid feed if plants are cropping well and need a nutrient boost.

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

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