This week In Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden we will be taking time out to sit and complete our seed and potato order for next year. We have had successes and failures this year, as always, and now is an ideal time to sit back and review this year’s crops whilst they are still in the ground. For example, our celery has been a bit stringy for the last two seasons so we will be trying a different variety next year. We have our staples that perform for us year in, year out such as our Desiree and Cara potatoes and these will be at the top of the list. We used to complete this job in the winter, when we have more time, but found that it is easier to review your crops whilst they are fresh in your mind. It is also a good excuse to sit and enjoy the autumn sunshine.
As the autumn creeps in, plants are beginning the process of shedding dead leaves. Debris on the ground in the Kitchen Garden creates an ideal environment for pests and diseases to nestle down in for the winter, ready to strike again next year. It’s so important to practise good housekeeping in the vegetable garden and we will be continuing to do this next week. It also keeps the garden looking good for longer as well.
This week we will be looking forward to Christmas. We will be stringing fairy lights onto our arches, obelisks and bay trees for a festive photo shoot for our winter gift catalogue. Rest assured that the lights will soon be removed ready to be put up again during the genuine festive season in December.
With all this talk of winter and Christmas, it would be easy to assume that the growing year is over, but we are still sowing in Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden. Next week we will be sowing chard, spinach and winter salads. We will also be harvesting French beans, runner beans, cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, chillies, broccoli and spinach.
