Veganic Growing Month by Month: August, September & October

‘Veganic’ is a combination of two words ‘vegan’ and ‘organic’. It’s a guarantee that food is grown in an organic way with only plant based fertilizers, encouraging functional biodiversity so pesticides are not necessary. No chemicals, no GMO and no animal by products in any part of the chain.

We all know that following a plantbased diet is the most ethical, healthy and environmentally friendly way of eating possible, but growing some of those plants can give you huge satisfaction along with all the fun, self-reliance and planet-saving benefits of producing your own food too. It can be done at any level, from keeping potted herbs on a windowsill or growing vegetables in your back garden, to aiming for near self-sufficiency from a larger plot or allotment.

So here’s what to do at this time of year.

By Piers Warren

About Piers:

Piers Warren is the co-author (with his daughter, Ella Bee Glendining) of The Vegan Cook & Gardener: Growing, Storing and Cooking Delicious Healthy Food all Year Round

More information about Piers Warren:

www.pierswarren.co.uk

Piers Warren's book, available online and at all good bookstores

AUGUST

Seeds to sow:

- Cabbages

– early spring varieties

- Pak choi

- Lettuce and other salad greens that are more suited for autumn/winter conditions such as lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)

- Lettuce varieties such as Arctic King

What to plant out:

- Pak choi

What to store or process:

- Apricots

- Aubergine

- Cauliflower (make piccalilli with some!)

- Celery

- Courgettes

- French beans

- Garlic

- Onions

- Peaches, nectarines

- Peas

- Runner beans

- Strawberries

What do I mean by ‘plant out’? Crops that you have grown from seed in trays or pots that will need to be planted out into beds or larger containers. Alternatively you can buy many of these as small plants from garden centres or online from garden catalogues

Other jobs on the plot

Prune apricot, peach and nectarine trees in August, straight after fruiting, the main aim being to remove diseased or damaged branches/twigs, any that are crossing and rubbing each other, and to improve the shape of the tree. They can also be trained, by a combination of pruning and tying to canes/ wires, to a fan shape against a wall.

This is also the month for the main pruning of cherry trees. Summer-fruiting raspberry varieties should be pruned after all the fruits have been gathered. Cut canes that fruited down to ground level but leave about six young canes per plant to grow on and fruit next year.

Check all winter squashes (pumpkins, butternuts etc.) and limit the number of developing fruits to 4-6 per plant. Lift onions and dry them in the sun for a week or two before storage. The easiest method is to lay them in trays, clean seed trays will do, and leave them outdoors, bringing them inside if rain threatens.

SEPTEMBER

Seeds to sow:

- Spinach/chard

- Lettuce and other salad greens that are more suited for autumn/winter conditions such as lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)

- Lettuce varieties such as Arctic King

What to plant out:

- Chinese cabbage

- Turnips

- Pak choi

What to store or process:

- Beetroot

- Figs

- Grapes

- Melon

- Onions

- Pears

- Pepper – chilli, capsicum

- Plums

- Potatoes

- Raspberries

- Sweet corn

- Tomatoes

Other jobs on the plot:

Remove lower leaves from celeriac plants.

Sow green manures in areas where crops have now been harvested and cleared.

Remove any dying rhubarb stalks and compost.

Stake plants that may need it over winter such as purple sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale.

OCTOBER

Seeds to sow:

- Broad beans

- Pea varieties that are winter hardy

- Lettuce and other salad greens that are more suited for autumn/winter conditions such as lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)

- Lettuce varieties such as Arctic King

What to plant out:

- Rhubarb

- Strawberries

What to store or process:

- Apples

- Carrots

- Winter squashes

- pumpkins and butternuts

Other jobs on the plot:

Last year’s leaf mould can be spread around the plot as a mulch. Clear this year’s fallen leaves from around the garden and start a new leaf mould pile (a simple netting enclosure will be fine). Harvest winter squashes such as pumpkins and butternuts before the first frost and leave in the sun to harden for a week or two before putting into frost-free storage.

Bring in, to the greenhouse or conservatory, pots of plants that will need winter protection, such as citrus trees.

Remove dead leaves from around parsnip plants.

Cut down asparagus ferns and compost. Weed the bed and mulch well with compost.