Late sowing and feeding fruit
Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg
I’m also sowing my favourite mustard ‘Red Dragon’, as this crops for months and keeps me in fresh greens all winter. When sowing I always make the drill and water well before sowing the seeds thinly; this helps ensure the seeds don’t get washed to another part of the bed and spring up there. Sow the seeds around 10cm (4in) apart, two to a station (allowing the weakest to be thinned) and 25cm (10in) between rows and keep the plants evenly moist, as sporadic watering will cause them to bolt.
In the greenhouse, it’s a constant challenge to tie in the tomatoes as they grow and pinch out sideshoots on cordon varieties; any tomato grower will know at this time of year you seem to have green-tipped fingers that smell of tomato leaves! While maintaining your plants
Boost tomatoes with comfrey leaves it’s good practice to keep an eye out for pests as greenfly seem to be rife this year; either use predatory insects or another method of control that won’t harm pollinators.
I like to feed greenhouse fruiting crops once a week with either home-made comfrey feed or liquid tomato food, and I find watering first thing in the morning is best, then to their ultimate size in what’s left of the season, but it allows me to use them for leaves, plus it adds a burst of colour to the garden and keeps beds productive. Simply sow the seed and keep the trays somewhere in a li le shade. I leave them on the shelf where I harden plants off, and just plant a few modules out as and when I need them. the plants aren't sat in cold soil overnight and the excess water helps damp the greenhouse down and cause a bit of humidity, which should control red spider mite.
If you want to add an extra boost to tomatoes, you can lay a 5cm (2in) layer of comfrey leaves around the bottom of the plants to act as a mulch and also as a slow-release feed as they rot down. Comfrey crumbles down really quickly (even if you wet it when
To have your vegetables as fresh as they can be for the show bench you need to harvest them as close as possible to show time and treat them like precious treasure from that point on. This is particularly true if you're competing at the highest level, such as any of the NVS National Championships where the standard is exceptionally high.
What to lift first and what to leave until the last possible moment is important, not only for the freshness but also to give yourself time to prepare the vegetables. For instance, you need time to tie up your onions and shallots with raffia.
If you're an exhibitor at your local or provincial show with multiple entries, then I would lift the hardier vegetables, such as kohl rabi, turnips and beetroot, first. I would then lift the parsnips as these can take time to ensure that they're lifted with the root intact and then the long carrots, which equally take some time to do properly.
With all the roots, once you decide which are good enough for showing, quickly rinse them clean and immerse them in a bath of water before cleaning them properly with a stiff sponge. Dry the parsnips thoroughly and if it’s sunny, leave them outside to completely dry out for an hour or so before wrapping them up to go to the show. Parsnips definitely travel better when they're dry and they retain their whiteness longer as well with no brown staining.
Wash carrots in the same way, making sure that the water is clean and to this end I leave the hose pipe slowly running in the bath. Washing in dirty water will leave the skin finish dull.
Ian Stocks has had a number of successes with carrots and he always removes them from the bath dripping wet and immediately wraps them in cling film. This will keep the roots fresh as well as maintaining a good colour on them. Always keep your vegetables as cool as possible and preferably in a garage rather than the house.
■ Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern – @medwynsofangles.