There are always some summer losses that niggle – crops that never got going, or did but instantly got mown down by marauding somebodies. You can’t make up for lost carrots and the time for tomatillos is over, but you can get a few crops in now for last-minute wins.
September is a kind month; the soils are warm and moist and there are enough good days ahead to ensure quick growth for those that are willing to race at life. So, if you’ve spent all summer hunkering after a good radish and instead got something that bolted or went pithy in the middle, try again this week. September often produces a truly fine crop. Choose somewhere sunny, and if you use a pot, make it a big one – radishes hate being overcrowded. Cover thinly with just a little soil, then water. You should have a crop in four weeks. ‘French Breakfast 3’ and the super-fast ‘Sparkler’ are both ideal.
Equally speedy are young turnips: choose the fine white Japanese varieties. Unless you are sowing in a polytunnel or greenhouse, you won’t get them to a large size; you’re aiming for something around the size of a radish. What you don’t get in size you make up for in flavour – sweet, with tender flesh.
‘Oasis’ is melon-flavoured and perfect for salads; ‘Tokyo Cross’ and ‘Snowball’ are both sweet and crisp. Sow liberally and thin early to get fast growth. The green parts are edible, too, so don’t waste the thinnings. Rub in a little salt, let them sit, rinse and then sauté or steam for a delicious green.
Both radishes and turnips are an ideal follow-up for pots that have had tomatoes, aubergines or other summer crops that are over. Top up with a fresh layer of compost and sow into that.
Watch out for flea beetle that will nibble little holes in leaves and can do serious damage if you get an infestation. It’s a tiny, shiny blue-black beetle that drops to the ground the minute you knock the plants. Cover with enviromesh or fleece immediately after sowing; if you wait till the seedlings are up, you inevitably trap the beetle under the mesh. Make sure the very young seedlings don’t dry out. They are most vulnerable in the early stages, so ensure speed at this point. Once the seedlings are up and strong, a diluted seaweed feed won’t go amiss.
Finally, September is the month for sowing winter spinach. These giant, dense, thick, flavoursome leaves need to be sown in cooler weather and will grow with a little protection all through winter. Try ‘Viroflex’ from Real Seeds or ‘Medania’ from Sarah Raven.
