Vegetable Growing Month by Month

The down-to-earth guide that takes you through the vegetable year by me, John Harrison - more info.

Plot 5 - Sweetcorn to the right and beans in foreground and to the left.

I also have squashes by the sweetcorn and a few climbing French beans growing up the sweetcorn. The corn may not be as high as an elephant's eye but it is taller than me!

Plot 5 - Comfrey Plants

In the foreground is the patch where the first early potatoes were dug out. I incorporated partially rotted turkey litter below and will rotovate and sow a green manure.

To the rear, the comfrey bed after the 4th cut of the year, which went onto the compost heap as an activator

See Comfrey, The Wonder Plant

Plot 29 - Green Manure

After the garlic and onions I rotovated lightly then sowed agricultural mustard as a green manure.

This is now ready to dig in and enhance the soil structure.

Plot 29 - Squash takes over!

The maincrop potato row finished short so I planted a courgette and a butternut squash thinking I had plenty of room.

The potatoes have put on huge amounts of top (hope the tubers are good) but the squash has gone berserk and seems to be trying to take over the whole site.

Plot 5 - Harvest with the boss

Val, my wife who must be obeyed, came down to help with the harvest. We carried back 4 carrier bags of French, Runner and Broad Beans.

My mini squash are becoming maxi so now on the table to cure with the marrows and giant courgettes (we blinked and they grew)

Plot 5 Sweetcorn and Tomatoes

By mid-August the sweetcorn cobs tassles are turning brown, a sign they are ready. Taller than me with some climbing French beans growing up on the outside plants.

The bush tomatoes, cv. Plum Roma are looking well, heavily laden they promise a really good crop.

Plot 5 Bush Tomato Plant

A closer view of the bush tomato plant. Despite being shaded by the climbing beans to the south (right of picture) - they are looking exceptionally well.

Now it is just a matter of hoping we have enough sunshine to ripen the crop. So far there has been plenty of rain - despite predictions of drought.

Sweetcorn Harvest

The first flush of sweetcorn was harvested over the August bank holiday.

From 35 plants I have taken 33 cobs with some more still ripening on the plants.

The cobs are well sized with even yellow kernels. Very sweet but sweetcorn sugars turn to starch very quickly, so these were blanched, kernels stripped and frozen within an hour of this photo.