EDIBLE GARDEN

Feed leafy vegetables with liquid fertiliser every 7–10 days to keep them growing strongly

Add some lime to acid soils before planting brassicas

Ripen green tomatoes (right) in a warm spot, or use any excess to make delicious green tomato chutney

Clear spent summer vegetables to make way for new plantings, then dig in compost in preparation for new crops, and cover the bare soil with mulch to deter weeds

Pick pumpkins when they are large, well coloured, hard and sound ‘drummy’ when rapped with the knuckles. e plants will keep growing until the rst frost or cold spell kills o their leafy growth

Plant winter vegetables now in cool to mild areas, including brassicas such as kale, cabbage, broccoli and cauli ower, as well as parsnip and peas.

Prevent coriander bolting by sowing seed to grow through the cooler months ahead – start now in cool and warm temperate areas

Cover brassica seedlings with ne white mesh to keep cabbage white butter ies at bay, then lift the cover when you need to water, fertilise and tend the vegetables

Monitor fruit y as the weather cools – although pest numbers diminish, keep fruit

y lures (below), baits and covers in place to protect late tomatoes and ripening mandarins