As the weather starts to turn and become wetter, summer seems to be turning rapidly into autumn and most of the vegetables in the garden are starting to see their production come to an end (although the grass and weeds don’t seem to have got the message yet!). It’s been a fantastic year for most for the garden and particular successes this year have been the carrots, sweetcorn and peas which have all had bumper crops. As a result we have a freezer full of surplus veg as well as potatoes and carrots still waiting to be dug up.

As the chillier, darker evenings set in, thoughts start to turn towards the delicious home cooked meals that can be created – the soups and stews that just taste so much better with home grown produce.  You can find a number of delicious recipes to try via the One You Plymouth website and i know i’ll be using a number of these in the next few weeks and months.

I’ll admit we don’t use our garden as much as we should in the winter and I feel a little guilty that the beds remain mostly empty over the winter with just the odd leek or cabbage waiting to be picked. My goal for next year is to make better use of the autumn and winter months to have more veg, like Pak Choi or “cut and come again” salad leaves throughout the year. The RHS website has some useful information on growing winter vegetables which I’ll be investing to boost production later next year.