Overwintering Edibles

As I write this first post we’re entering Autumn. There is a noticeable shift in the seasons as the mornings are a little nippy now but, thankfully, we still have some bright days to enjoy working outside. Things are still battling on outside including my dwarf beans, variety Ferrari, swede even though the leaves have been nibbled to death, climbing peas Colossus along with sweet peas and my Christmas spuds. (I love Christmas so make no apologies for mentioning it now!)

I have to say now is my favorite time of the year but I appreciate this is a bit of a weird thing to say when traditionally our gardens are a little quiet. However I love September as it leads to the cold months as my kitchen Rayburn is lit after the summer break, my boys love coming home from school to baked treats in front of the fire and I’m indoors planning for NEXT year!

My New Greenhouse and Bench

Ⓒ Louise Houghton – My New Greenhouse and Bench

Also at this time we can look to overwintering edibles and this year is my first year of trying.

I have only had a greenhouse since this summer (complete with my own greenhouse bench) so hope to make good use of it along with my wonderful polyhouse which my husband built.

I’m a bit girly regarding these two as you can see – can’t beat a bit of bunting and some bright paint.

Inside my Polyhouse

Ⓒ Louise Houghton – Inside my Polyhouse

I’m learning what’s best to grow in both the greenhouse and polyhouse; the latter I really need to start using as a poly tunnel as I think the structure really should make it work the same way…

In the polyhouse I started off some cabbages, variety Offenham 2, and these will be planted out in some of my tyres in which I grow various edibles; better be soon or they’ll be pot bound! (I know some people may not like the idea of having edibles in tyres because of the rubber but I find the heat kept in by them aids growth and the taste is never affected, plus I’m always looking for yet another place to plant out!)

Trays of spinach beet and beetroot were begun in the polyhouse and I planted the beetroot in the greenhouse after taking out the cucumber plant that has come to an end.

Homegrown cabbage and spinach beet

Ⓒ Louise Houghton – *Left to right – homegrown cabbage seedlings and homegrown spinach beet seedlings

The spinach beet is a fab edition when you want to bulk out a stir fry and this is now in a drainpipe also in the greenhouse but I grew it in my main patch in the summer and its still going strong. A drainpipe is another great place for planting out if short of space and I do this for lettuce in the polyhouse, too. My gherkins have been wonderful this year; I pickled some for the cellar store room.

What haven’t been good this year for me are the tomatoes; I’m always very nervous when it comes to growing these very useful edibles. I’m unsure if I under or over water, pinch out too much or not enough, etc. etc. Out of around 12 plants I’ve harvested literally a handful of fruit. Never mind as of course I’ll try again next year – learning all the time to do things better.

Well, hope to see you here again another time when I plan to update you on my overwintering efforts and whatever else is going on here in my little patch of paradise.

Rainbow vegetables – the latest trend on the veg patch!

There has been a lot of chatter about purple carrots in recent years, as chefs and cooks have wanted to jazz up their dishes, I blame Master Chef! But, Thompson & Morgan have just released the BEST purple carrot- ‘Purple Sun’– which is purple right through to the core!

purple carrot

Purple carrots have extra antioxidant ‘superhero’ powers, due to their unique anthocyanins, and they also possess more beta carotenes. ‘Atomic Red’ is a carrot, which is almost a tomato in disguise, thanks to the high levels of lycopene, just like the humble tomato. The colour and flavour improve with cooking too!

Rainbow vegetables

Can you imagine a golden-coloured beetroot? The flavour is more delicate, it could perhaps even be described as sweeter. Your dinner party guests will be puzzled as to what this different vegetable is on their plates! And, if you thought that was mind-bending, then you need to check out ‘Chioggia Pink’, with striped red and white roots!

rainbow vegetables

Beans and peas haven’t escaped the paintbrush either! Pea ‘Shiraz’ is the first commercially available purple mange tout pea; the shimmering purple pods are packed with antioxidants. Use them fresh or stir-fried to keep the unique colourings. Bear in mind this is a gorgeous vegetable for the flower border too! The best of both worlds. Bean ‘Golden Teepee’ is also worth seeking out; as those bright yellow pods mean you’ll never miss them, so you can pick them when they’re nice and tender.

Have you grown rainbow vegetables? Then we want to hear about it!

Beetroot – the versatile wonder-veg

Beetroot is one of the most versatile vegetables you can find – gone are the days of sharp, pickled beetroot, the stuff that most of us remember being given at tea-time as children!

Beetroot - the versatile wonder-veg

Beetroot Boltardy

You can add it to so many dishes and it makes cakes wonderfully moist – one of our colleagues made an amazing chocolate and beetroot cake a few months ago and we’re still talking about it! Searching for ‘beetroot recipes’ online will bring up pages and pages of delicious treats, including brownies, wine, curry, houmous, chutney, relish, risotto… the list just goes on and on.

The health benefits are seemingly never-ending too. It’s high in nitrates, which produce nitric oxide in the blood, which in turn increase blood flow to the brain, reducing the risk of heart attack and slowing the progression of dementia. It reduces blood pressure, is high in folic acid and iron and several other minerals. (It’s worth noting that raw beetroot has higher levels of folic acid than cooked). Folic acid may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Beetroot - the versatile wonder-veg

Beetroot Chioggia

It was used in Roman times as an aphrodisiac and for medicinal purposes, such as using the leaves to bind wounds. The Victorians added it to cakes and puddings to sweeten them. Then, after WWII, pickled beetroot was the most widely available form of the wonder-veg, but the strong vinegar used generally put most people off!

You can also use it as a dandruff treatment, wine, food colouring, a hangover cure and the Victorians even used it as a hair dye.

Beetroot comes in many colours – not just the traditional red, but also golden yellow, white and striped. You can also choose from the original long rooted varieties or the more well-known round ones. It’s really easy to grow, just make sure you choose a sunny spot, as the sun sweetens the roots and gives them their distinctive flavour.

Beetroot - the versatile wonder-veg

Beetroot Burpee’s Golden

Now is the perfect time to start sowing beetroot – prepare the ground well by raking it until it’s fine and crumbly (known as ’tilth’), then sow the seeds thinly. If necessary, thin them out when they germinate to give the roots more space to grow. You can add the ‘thinnings’ to salads and the baby leaves are delicious too. Keep them well watered – don’t let the soil dry out, otherwise they’ll bolt (run to seed). They’ll be ready to harvest from June to October and, if you’ve got the space, successional sowings from March to July will keep you in good supply throughout the summer and into autumn. Just make sure you lift any remaining roots before the first frosts.

See our full range of beetroot seeds here. 

Find out more about how to choose, grow and enjoy your beetroot at our beetroot and chard hub page.

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