IT’S just two days until the clocks go back; the end of British Summer Time. In true British tradition, however, it was typical that we had to wait until autumn had arrived before we got any truly warm, sunny weather!
As the days get shorter and the night temperatures drop, there are still some reminders of summer doggedly hanging on in Gibside’s walled kitchen garden.
A splash of pink in one of the allotments turns out to be Lavatera, an annual that usually blooms between June and September, but still has a good display of flowers. On another patch the bright orange heads of marigolds are dancing in what is a strong breeze.
Not to be left out, on The Journal allotment scores of bright lavender purple flowers atop long, thin stalks are blowing manically as the wind catches them. These are the flattened heads of Verbena bonariensis.
The rest of the plot that has been carefully tended by Gibside’s community kitchen gardener, Sue Adamson, and volunteer helper Judith Summerson, since the first of these columns back in February, is looking less productive.
The carrots, French and runner beans, peas, salad crops, butternut squash, strawberries and potatoes have all been harvested. Now all that’s left is a few hardy vegetables: broccoli, leeks and parsnips waiting for the first real frosts of the season to turn their starch into sugar and give them their distinctive slightly spicy sweet flavour.
Biding their time buried deep in the ground along the edges of the 9m x 4m allotment are scores of daffodil bulbs which Sue has planted to give early spring colour. .
With winter still to contend with, spring seems a long way off. But Sue, in her mind at least, has skipped the next few months and is planning for next year.
She’s looking at what to plant and where. She’s taken note of what worked this year (the runner beans, salad crops, carrots, strawberries, parsnips and peas) and what hasn’t (French beans, butternut squash and potatoes, the majority of which were hit by blight).
As the Gibside kitchen garden operates a crop rotation system to maximise productivity, she is plotting a few layout changes.
Crop rotation is essential. “Its purpose is to reduce pests and disease and to get the maximum benefits of the nutrients out of the soil,” Sue explains. “There is a logical sequence and you should try to do a minimum of a three-year rotation.
“As an example, if you are putting virgin ground down to vegetables, then in the first year you put potatoes in as they break up the ground. The following year you would look to plant legumes, such as peas and beans, in that spot, as they fix nitrogen in the soil.
“Nitrogen is one of the three main nutrients, but it is water- soluble so in winter it gets washed out of the soil. By putting legumes in you ‘fix’ that nitrogen in the earth. If you dig up legumes you will see that on the roots there are little white balls – they are the nitrogen- fixing nodules.
“When you grow legumes like peas or beans, you never dig them out. You cut them back to ground level and let the roots rot into the soil.
“In year three you would plant out one of the big leafy brassicas on that spot so that they could benefit from the nitrogen. The brassicas would normally then be followed by a root crop like carrots, which need very little nutrition.
“Then you start all over again with the potatoes, beans, brassicas and your chosen root crop. There is nothing scientific about it; it is just common sense and is a method for getting the most out of the soil that has worked for thousands of years.”
Rotating crops can help control the spread of pests like the dreaded carrot fly.
It was the inglorious summer weather that did for the potatoes, though – too much rain, cloud and disappointing temperatures that allowed the blight to take hold. Sue has already been scanning the seed catalogues for blight-resistant potatoes.
She is planning to have a large area for carrots, parsnips and the salad crops that all did so well this summer. Added to the list will be beetroot and maybe Brussels sprouts that didn’t get a look in this year.
The butternut squash is unlikely to be having a second outing.
Gardening for the next few months is less about the physical side and more about the mental. “There is something very satisfying about reviewing the past year and planning for the next,” Sue says.
“When it is cold and windy and you don’t want to go out it is nice to think of the warmer days to come.”
With The Journal allotment winding down for winter, this is the last column from Gibside. Sue has enjoyed sharing progress with readers and says she will be happy if one or two have been inspired to try their own sowing and growing.
“The whole thing about growing your own is being close to nature coupled with the joy of watching something grow. I never tire of seeing seeds germinate. It is a true miracle of nature.
“Then to actually be able to pick the stuff, cook it and eat it, you feel very contented.”
See The Journal allotment for yourself at Gibside, near Rowlands Gill, Burnopfield, Gateshead, NE16 6BG, 01207 541820, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside. Open daily 10am-6pm.
SUE’S TOP TIP
“Make the best use of the nice days. There won’t be too many of them from now on, so make sure you get outdoors and enjoy them, whether in the garden or on a country walk.”
ALLOTMENT JOBS FOR NOVEMBER
Harvest squash and pumpkins.
Harvest the last of the carrots.
Plant spring bulbs; daffodils should be going in now and tulips in November.
Harvest parsnips but wait until there has been a good frost as the cold helps sweeten them. Parsnips can remain in the ground until you need them.
Harvest winter cabbages, Brussels sprouts and leeks. All can be left to stand until they are required.
Check any fruit and vegetables in store and remove any that are starting to rot. Potatoes especially need to be checked.
Continue clearing the ground when the weather allows.
Sow green manure to protect the soil.
Give the greenhouse a good wash and clean and air out on fine days to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.
AUTUMN RECIPE
Pan haggerty
This is a traditional and filling Northumberland recipe that makes an ideal supper dish either on its own or with meat. Pan haggerty uses potatoes and onions – both very much in season at the moment and even better when they are from your own garden – but you can also add a little cabbage too.
Ingredients:
450g potatoes
225g onions
1 tablespoon butter
110g mature cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice the potatoes and onions thinly. Heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan and add the potatoes, onions and cheese in layers, seasoning as you go.
Fry gently until cooked then brown under a grill and serve.