In his weekly Jamie’s Little Allotment column, Gayton gardener Jamie Marsh has the promise of fresh harvests to come…
This time of year always feels like a changing of the guard in the polytunnel. The tomatoes are coming to an end, the cucumbers are finished, but the chillies are still going strong. I have had a brilliant harvest of chillies and peppers this year and there are still plenty left to ripen.
They can take several weeks to change colour, so the trick is to keep picking the ripe ones as they come. Every time you harvest, the plant puts more energy into the remaining fruit, which helps the green ones along. It is a slow but steady process and one of the reasons I enjoy growing them.
Jamie has been busy sowing trays of seeds
As the summer crops fade, I never like to leave bare patches of ground. If a tomato plant comes out, I try to have something ready to slip in its place. Over the past few weeks I have been sowing trays of seeds and they are now just right for planting into the tunnel.
They might not romp away like they do in the height of summer, but they will tick along nicely and keep us in fresh greens right through the colder months.
Oriental leaves are always my go to. Mizuna, mibuna, spicy red mustard, pak choi and tatsoi are all excellent this time of year. They seem to thrive in the cooler weather and, even if the growth is slower, you will still have a steady supply of leaves to pick. They are perfect for cut and come again harvesting, which means the more you snip, the more they give back.
Chillies and and peppers are still going strong
I have also sown some kohl rabi and fennel, both of which do well undercover. Kohl rabi is such a useful vegetable, crisp and crunchy for salads or cooked in stews and fennel adds that lovely aniseed flavour which I really enjoy.
Another favourite of mine is lettuce, and I always make space for Marvel of Four Seasons. It is a beautiful lettuce with red tinged leaves that looks as good as it tastes.
The key at this time of year is to use the space as it becomes available. There is no need to wait until everything is cleared before planting the next crop. I often tuck in rows of seedlings between fading tomato plants or in gaps where cucumbers once sprawled. By the time the old crops are removed, the new ones are already settled in and ready to take off.
Growth will naturally be slower as the days shorten and the temperatures drop, so it is important not to expect summer speed. Instead, think of the tunnel as a way of keeping things ticking over. It means you will have a trickle of harvests through the winter rather than a glut all at once. That steady supply is a real boost, especially when fresh greens are scarce in the shops or come wrapped in plastic.
Another tip is to sow little and often. A tray of leaves every couple of weeks will give you a succession of young plants to keep planting out. You can buy plugs ready to go, but even better is to sow your own on a sunny windowsill. They germinate quickly in the cosy heat and by the time space opens up in the tunnel, you will have young plants waiting in the wings.
Even if you do not have a polytunnel, you can still try this on a smaller scale with a cold frame or even a pot of cut and come again leaves in the kitchen. It is such a joy to snip a handful of fresh greens in the middle of winter.
The soil in the tunnel will also need a bit of a top up. Tomatoes are such hungry plants that take a lot out of the ground, so before I put anything new in I like to spread a thin layer of compost over the surface. Just enough to freshen it up and give the next plants a good start.
Of course, I am never far from company when I am pottering in the tunnel. Bramble (Jamie’s pet dog) usually trots in behind me, nose down, checking every corner as if she is inspecting my work. It is one of the things I love most about gardening at this time of year. The plot might be slowing down outside, but inside the tunnel there is new life beginning, and I get to share it all with my four legged friend.
So, while the tomatoes and cucumbers have had their day, there is still plenty happening. With a bit of planning and some seeds sown ahead of time, the polytunnel carries on producing and bridging the gap into winter. With every new tray of seedlings and every row of young leaves, there is the promise of fresh harvests still to come.
Let me know what your growing over winter. Email: Jamieslittleallotmeny@gmail.com
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