The Vegetable Plot – September

All set to go

Planting time for autumn onion sets so you can be ahead of the game next year and harvesting in June to July. Choose varieties like Radar and Unwin’s First Early Mature which has a rounded shape and lovely, high quality yellow skin which is great for storing.

Plant 8cm (3”) apart in drills. Maincrop onions should be ripe for harvesting now as well as potatoes and you can remove leaves on outdoor tomatoes that are covering the fruit to let the sun ripen them off.


Squashes, marrows and pumpkins should be cut when they reach full size and seasoned by leaving them in the sunshine for a couple of weeks to harden off, or pop them in the greenhouse or on a windowsill if it’s wet.

Once you have cleared maincrop onion beds you can clear any weeds and work in some general fertiliser then transplant any spring cabbage plants you have grown into the bed. If you don’t have a greenhouse consider an unheated frame for propagating.

• Freeze vegetables such as beans, Brussels sprouts, peas and broccoli
• Continue earthing up celery
• Thin out vegetable seedlings such as spinach beet, winter spinach, lettuce and endive sown in August
• Sow French beans for forcing in a heated greenhouse
• Sow some lettuce, endive and radishes in unheated frames
• Lift remaining beetroot and carrots to store.