August week 1… Harvesting and sowing

Can you believe it’s August already! Where has this year gone? We spent the first week of August harvesting chillies, courgettes and beetroot.

We make borscht with most of our beetroots – I love the deep purple soup which has a tang of vinegar and a big dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche on top – yum! Beetroot are really easy to grow. I sow the beetroot seeds between April and June in trays of compost. Beetroot are happy in most soil conditions – you just need to make sure they have enough water to stop them becoming woody.

As well as harvesting veg I have been sowing seeds to ensure we can keep harvesting veg well into Autumn. I sowed peas, sugar snaps, runner and climbing beans towards the start of this week – we will be crossing our fingers the peas and beans will arrive before the frost sets in. We may have to pick the pods young if it starts to get cold, but generally they taste better when little.

I’m so excited about our tomatoes! The plants in our hanging basket seem to be producing loads of small tomatoes. I am feeding all of the tomatoes every other day and watering them every day.

I have been pinching out the side shoots on the tomato plants for the last couple of weeks. This means pinching the little stems that are emerging between each ‘branch’. This stops the plant’s energy going into foliage and puts it into the fruit.

My tomato plants have out-grown my plant tent. I have moved them next to the shed and supported them with string.

Let me know if you have any tips for growing great tomatoes! Jane