GARDEN INSPIRATION
Harvest crops while they are young
and tender, the older they get the less
flavoursome they become.
Sow seeds of winter spinach (below
right) before the end of August to give
you fresh greens in autumn; small tasty
leaves should be ready to be picked by
October. Thompson & Morgan’s ‘Perpetual’
Spinach, £2.29 per packet, make wonderfully
hardy plants which will overwinter and
produce plenty of leaves the following spring.
Swiss Chard (right and below left) is
another vegetable that crops for months
on end and is easy to grow. One worthy
variety, Rhubarb Chard, produces clumps
of purple tinged leaves with vivid crimson
midribs and makes a lovely addition to a
border of flowering plants. It can also be
grown in a large pot. The young tender
leaves of Chard are packed with vitamins and
can be used in stir fries, lightly steamed like
spinach or added to salad dishes. The stems
are equally delicious and can be cooked
separately as you would asparagus.✓
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what to do on the veg plot
Plant of
the month
From diminutive daisies growing in a lawn
to the big round faces of summer sunflowers,
members of the daisy family are bestowed
with pure and simple beauty. A uniformly
round centre encompassed by a circular array
of petals provides the ideal landing pad for
butterflies and bees to feed from.
Echinaceas belong to this popular group of
plants, they are widely used in prairie planting
schemes but also make wonderful border
plants when grouped together or dotted
amongst other perennials.
Give them an open, sunny site in
well-drained, fertile soil and, once planted,
leave alone as they resent disturbance. Keep
an eye on emerging foliage in spring as it’s
a favourite of slugs and snails.
Echinacea purpurea is widely available
but new exciting varieties come in an array
of pinks,
purples,
apricots,
creamy
whites,
yellows and
even green.
ImageRHSIf you are growing a large pumpkin for
Hallowe’en, water it regularly and give
a liquid feed every couple of weeks. Raise it
off the ground onto a piece of wood or thick
cardboard to prevent it rotting on wet soil.
Always water around the base of the plant
and remove any of the old leaves that are
shading the pumpkin from the sun.ImageiBulbhttp://www.yourhomemagazine.co.uk August 2019 115