Thick end of the veg

Feed, lift, sow and dig if you want harvest time to be a bumper occasion, writes David Overend.

Some vegetable crops seem to be doing well this summer – whatever the weather. Greenhouse-grown tomatoes, for example, are thriving, particularly when they’ve had plenty of liquid plant food rich in the major nutrients and awash with trace elements and magnesium to encourage strong plant growth and big, tasty fruits.

Runner beans also deserve feeding, this time with a high-nitrogen food applied over the leaves and around the roots to ensure they continue producing crops until the first frost. They also need plenty of water.

A bit nearer ground level and in a few weeks it will be time to lift onions, garlic and shallots to dry off thoroughly before storing under cover.

All need dry, sunny weather to ripen thoroughly, so once the foliage has started to flop and shrivel, carefully lift the bulbs from the soil. Then lay them out somewhere sheltered – and preferably sunny – until they dry. Plenty of air circulating around the lifted bulbs is essential.

Meanwhile, keep sowing seeds of leafy salad crops, including lettuce. Loose-leaf varieties such as “Salad Bowl”, Oakleaf, “Lolla Rossa” and “Lolla Bionda” are all worth growing, especially if we are blessed with a late summer spell of warm weather. Alternatively, pop some seeds into a six-inch plant pot; when they germinate, just pull off a few leaves as and when you need them. It may seem a bit premature, but it could pay to prepare the ground for planting out winter cabbage and Brussels sprout plants where they are to crop. If pigeons are a problem, cover the plants with netting to prevent the leaves from being stripped from the stem.

During the next few weeks, keep an eye on any developing brassicas to see if cabbage white butterflies are using them to incubate their young. If you spot yellow eggs on the underside of the foliage, they can be rubbed off.

Transplant young leeks to their final cropping position. Ensure the soil is moist and enriched with a general plant food.

Make deep planting holes with a dibber and drop the roots of one seedling into each. A good watering should see them happy in their new homes. Then pray for a decent winter.