Late crops reward careful picking and storing. Here's what to harvest in autumn and how to keep them good.
Created by jflgardens.co.uk
Autumn is the kitchen garden's most rewarding season — harvest time, when all the planting and feeding pays off. From root vegetables and squashes to apples and pears, picking at the right moment and storing well extends your homegrown season deep into winter.
Roots such as carrots, parsnips and beetroot are ready once they reach a decent size, and they can stay in the ground through autumn to put on a little more growth. Squashes and pumpkins are ready when the skin hardens and the stem begins to cork, while apples and pears come away with a gentle twist of the fruit.
Lift tender and storage crops before hard frosts and heavy rain set in, choosing a dry day when the soil is not waterlogged. Ease them out of the ground, brush off loose soil and set aside any that are split, damaged or diseased, as these will not keep.
Most fruit and vegetables keep best in a cool, dark, airy shed, garage or cellar that stays frost-free. Apples and pears store well on slatted shelving, while root crops keep longest in boxes of slightly damp sand or peat-free compost.
Leave a little air around each piece of fruit so any rot cannot spread, and look through your stored crops every couple of weeks, taking out anything that is beginning to spoil. Looked after this way, autumn's harvest will feed you well into the new year.
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