Fruitful feeling Great Dixter’s gardener-cook Aaron Bertelsen harvests late-summer produce and dreams of apples
With plants still cropping – artichokes and tomatoes among them – Aaron anticipates the apple season, sows winter herbs and plants out fennel to avoid bolting
Ialways feel a sense of excitement and anticipation in September. Even when the weather remains balmy, the misty mornings and cool evenings are a harbinger of autumn, my favourite season in the garden. It is the time for harvesting, but it is also the time to start looking forward to the next growing season.
I often find my thoughts turning to apples – both the picking and the planting. It is a subject close to the heart of my friend Tom Coward at Gravetye Manor, who grows an amazing range of cultivars. If you are thinking of planting a tree, this is the perfect time to place your order to ensure you get the widest possible choice. There are some excellent specialist growers out there, offering an extraordinary range, including heirloom types that have been grown for hundreds of years. Just remember that if you are planning to grow a tree in a pot, it must be on dwarfing rootstock, and unless the tree is self-fertile you must ensure there is another tree nearby that will flower at the right time to facilitate cross-pollination. Otherwise you will be waiting a long time for your fruit.
What to sow
September is also the month to sow salads and herbs for winter, and you won’t regret it if you do. For me, there is no greater luxury than going out into the garden even on the dreariest of days and coming back with a basket full of the freshest leaves. Parsley – both flat and curly leaved – peppery leaves, such as mustard and mizuna, and a good winter lettuce are all on my list. Look out too for the special seasonal mixes of salad leaves that are becoming increasingly popular now. Sow now, while the weather and the soil are still warm. Any later, and although your seeds might germinate, the plants will struggle to put on much growth. In the main you will find these leaves are pretty resilient, but if the weather does turn very cold, be ready to cover them with some fleece. Or, follow the example of the gardeners at Chanticleer, a wonderful garden just outside Philadelphia in northeastern USA, and grow your salad in cold frames. Remove the lids on sunny days and pop them back on at night, adding a layer of hessian or bubble wrap for extra protection when needed.
What to plant out
Florence fennel has a wonderful, aniseed flavour and is so useful in the kitchen. The bulbs can be eaten raw, or steamed, grilled or boiled, and served with a cheese sauce or as an accompaniment to chicken or fish. It does have a tendency to bolt, however, so plant it too early and it will quickly run to seed at the expense of the juicy bulbs. I like to sow seed under glass in August ready for planting out in September. Do this while the seedlings are still small – 7.5-10cm tall – to avoid disturbing the taproot.
Allow 30cm or so between the plants, firm the soil well around them and water well. It is important that the plants do not dry out, for despite its Mediterranean origins, fennel will not tolerate dry conditions.
This is another reason why September is the perfect time for planting. If the weather warms up, and you are concerned that the fennel will bolt, just harvest the bulbs small and enjoy them in a salad or lightly braised in a little stock or white wine. Delicious.
What to harvest
By now the artichoke splits you planted in April should be in full swing. This is a tradition I inherited from Christopher Lloyd. The idea is that the unsplit plants will start producing in early summer, while the splits are still bulking up. Then, as the first crop reaches its end, the newer plants take over, extending the cropping season to the end of the summer. The secret to ensuring really succulent buds is water, and plenty of it. I must admit that the artichokes in my garden often get overlooked – they are such big, robust plants that it is easy to forget that they need care too. The other secret is to harvest while they are no bigger than your fist, cutting back to the next bud to keep the plant tidy. Regular picking will also keep blackfly at bay. Finally, earwigs love to bury themselves between the ‘petals’, so give the buds a good shake before you cook them. Christopher loved to eat them boiled with a good vinaigrette, as do I, but occasionally it is nice to combine them with other, more robust, flavours, such as fennel.
You can find Aaron’s recipe for fennel, aubergine and artichoke caponata at gardensillustrated.com/recipes