Garden Project: Summer planting for winter harvesting

Did you grow some edible crops during lockdown? Whether you did or didn’t, can we suggest that August is a great month for starting to grow your own Winter crops?

It’s now too late in Scotland to try growing new potatoes for Christmas but you can be establishing various herbs to use in the winter months. Coriander for leaves, Chervil and both types of Parsley, flat leaved and curly, can be bought as young plants or grown from see this month. Pick these to add flavour to your dishes.

For more flavour in salads you should try sowing mizuna, mustard, pak choi, winter lettuces or lambs lettuce. To prolong the harvesting into the early winter try protecting them under a cloche which will also keep the pigeons off or in a cold greenhouse if you have one! You would need to plant young plants of leeks, spring cabbage, kale and purple sprouting broccoli as it is too late to start them from seed. You may be able to get plants from the garden centre this month.

The gardening project is contributed by Dougal Philip, New Hopetoun Gardens. Inspiring, informing and entertaining, for more than 40 years.