In his weekly Jamie’s Little Allotment column, gardener Jamie Marsh enjoys the fruits of his labours…
Although I’ve been harvesting from the allotment for months, at this time of year everything is coming thick and fast.
The tomatoes in the polytunnel are at their peak, as are the cucumbers and aubergines. The chillies and peppers have been a bit slow up until recently, but they’re about ready to join the show.
Some of this year’s sweetcorn cobs have developed corn smut – a delicacy in Mexico
Every time I go round to the plot I seem to come back with more than I can carry. Courgettes appear out of nowhere, the runner beans are racing up their poles, and the squash are quietly swelling in the background. It’s the sort of abundance that keeps you just as busy in the kitchen as in the garden.
It seems like the worktops are full of baskets and bowls of produce every day. Some of it needs eating straight away, plenty is shared out with friends and neighbours, and the rest goes into the freezer or gets turned into chutneys and sauces.
A few jars of relish or a bag of roasted veg tucked into the freezer can be a real treat later in the year when the garden is quieter. I always think it’s a lovely way of bottling a bit of summer to enjoy in the colder months.
Jamie doesn’t use chemicals on his plot and insects often nibble his greens
It may seem like I paint a perfectly rosy picture every week, but the truth is I don’t use any chemicals on my plot so there are always unexpected things happening. This year it was the sweetcorn that caught me out. Some of the cobs have developed a strange grey growth that at first glance looks like damage or disease. It turns out it’s something called corn smut, a fungus that swells up the kernels into silvery grey pouches.
Here in the UK most gardeners see it as a problem, but in Mexico it’s actually prized as a delicacy and goes by the name huitlacoche or Mexican truffle. I can’t say I’ll be rushing to fry it up for tea, but it’s fascinating to see how one person’s crop failure is another person’s treat. It just goes to show that even when you think you know what’s coming, the garden can still surprise you.
Of course, it isn’t just the sweetcorn. Anyone with an organic veg garden will know that nibbled leaves and the odd pest problem are part of the deal. Slugs and snails always manage to find a way in, caterpillars will have a munch on the brassicas if you let them, and the odd blackfly or greenfly turns up just when you thought you’d got on top of things.
I see these as small trade-offs for growing without chemicals. A few holes in the kale leaves don’t matter once they’re cooked, and most plants bounce back from a bit of nibbling. It’s about learning to share a little with nature while still taking plenty for yourself.
There’s plenty growing at a fast pace at Jamie’s allotment
And really, that’s why I grow my own veg. It’s not about chasing perfect-looking produce like you see in the supermarket. Those rows of identical, blemish-free veg are only possible because they’re sprayed, treated and graded so heavily that anything less than perfect never even makes it onto the shelves.
For me, it’s about having food that’s chemical-free and good for my family. It’s about knowing exactly how it’s been grown and enjoying the flavours that only come from freshly picked veg.
The plot also gives me something more than food. It’s my downtime, a place to clear my head after a busy day and somewhere I can get a bit of exercise without even thinking about it. Digging, bending, stretching, carrying baskets of produce back to the kitchen – it all adds up, and it feels good because it’s purposeful.
As the evenings start to shorten and there’s a hint of autumn in the air, I’m grateful for every basket of veg I carry back to the kitchen. Growing veg isn’t always smooth sailing, but the ups and downs are all part of the journey. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t swap it for anything, because the rewards far outweigh the setbacks.
As always you can tell me what you’ve been up to in the garden or ask me a question by emailing me: Jamieslittleallotment@gmail.com
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