Joe Lofthouse, Edibles & Nursery Team Leader at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, shares how he takes stock of his year in the veg plot and plans ahead to prepare for the year to come
It’s time for a gradual tidy up, leaving any hollow stems and seedheads for winter structure, habitat and food for birds. Before you do any cutting back or rake a single leaf, make time to do another important job – take stock of how your garden is doing.
A misty morning, while waiting for the sun to break through, is the perfect time to have a good look round and record the highs and lows of your plot. You only need to write enough to jog your memory, but without notes, it’s all too easy to forget good ideas and intentions once spring returns. We take photos too – after all, a picture says a thousand words.
I ask myself questions such as what cropped well, what needed staking, and is the soil in good health? I record any plants that didn’t thrive and try to identify why – were they too close together? Are they diseased? Did they lack enough water? Water demands can be very tiring in high summer, so if you found yourself needing to water constantly, consider introducing more drought-tolerant plants and using organic mulches – preferably your own garden compost – to reduce water loss from the soil.
Jot down varieties of fruit and vegetables that cropped well or tasted particularly good, along with those that were disappointing, or those you wished you’d grown more of. It is also useful to note any pest and disease problems. Here at Harlow Carr we had an attack of asparagus beetle; the adults and larvae both feed on stems and foliage during the summer months. Extensive defoliation can really weaken the asparagus plants, which will then result in a poor crop the following year. Next year, we’ll know to start hand-picking much earlier.
As well as considering plants individually, evaluate how they interact together. Does a particular combination of plants work well in terms of habit, size and timing? The ‘three sisters’ – sweetcorn, squash and climbing beans – are a great example. Have some more vigorous veggies swamped their more delicate neighbours? These are all ‘live and learn’ moments for us.
Once you’ve made notes, you can really plan for next year, whether it’s jobs that need doing, materials and equipment to buy, seeds to order, or plants you want to get hold of. Hopefully once you’ve started keeping a garden notebook, you’ll find yourself turning to it more than once a year. Add in the names of must-have plants, gardens and nurseries to visit, and questions to look up (along with the answers when you find them), and you will find you have one of the most useful gardening books you will ever own.
You can try these websites to source seeds, plug plants, bulbs and equipment:
- rhsplants.co.uk
- thompson-morgan.com/uk
- seedsofitaly.com
- realseeds.co.uk
- jparkers.com
- harrodhorticultural.com
Pick of the crop
Look for the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) when buying vegetable seed or small plants. You can also download the RHS lists of recommended cultivars.
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About the author – Joe Lofthouse (MHort) RHS (MCIHort)
As Edibles & Nursery Team Leader at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, I am passionate about growing my own fruit and vegetables, and love to inspire people to grow their own. I deliver regular talks on growing fruit and veg, both at work and in my own time. I am also a member of many fruit and vegetable committees around the country.
