THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH

IN THE GARDEN

1 Towards the middle and end of the month I’ll be sowing hardy annuals to overwinter somewhere sheltered and give flowers early next summer, including love-in-a-mist, borage and calendula.

2 Save seed! Just pick a couple of seed heads from any plants that caught your eye to share and propagate.

3 Sow hardy greens to take you through autumn and winter – try claytonia, mibuna, mustard, mizuna and rocket.

INDOORS

1 There’s so much to harvest, it’s a fun time to experiment with preserving. Dry, pickle, ferment, syrup and jam to make it last longer. I love recipes using local ingredients, like raspberries fermented in a raw, local, happy-bee honey – it’s a sweet fizzy jam with all the gut-healthy perks of fermentation.

2 Sow leafy cool-weather veg (like rainbow chard, left, or ‘Osaka Purple’ mustard), which look beautiful in containers or window boxes and are handy located near the kitchen for easy picking.