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We would like to welcome you back as you start a new school year. Although the weather has been unpredictable through the summer holidays we hope you all had a great time and enjoyed harvesting and eating some lovely produce from your gardens. If you are new to gardening we hope that you’ll have lots of fun learning all about organic growing. There are still plenty of things to be done in the garden at the moment especially continuing to harvest and cook all that lovely produce that you have looked after with such care. It’s a good idea at this time of year to take a look at your garden and think about what you might like to do next year. Think about what went well, what didn’t do very well and what changes you would like to make or new crops you might like to try. As autumn approaches it is a good time to have a general tidy up, collect seed and think about spring bulbs. What to Sow, Plant and Harvest September Plant Outdoors - spring cabbage, calabrese. Harvest - basil, parsley, rocket, French bean, runner bean, beetroot, Brussels sprout, cabbage, calabrese, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, courgette, leek, lettuce, marrow, onion, spring onion, pea, potato (main crop), radish, squash, spinach/leaf beet, swede, sweet corn, tomato, turnip. October Plant Outdoors - spring cabbage, garlic, onion sets (over winter). Harvest - basil, parsley, rocket, French bean, runner bean, Brussels sprout, cabbage, calabrese, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, courgette, leek, lettuce, marrow, onion, spring onion, parsnip, pea, potato (main crop), radish, squash, spinach/leaf beet, swede, sweet corn, tomato, turnip.

Lots of great tasting fruit & veg to harvest

Sow now for winter crops Spring and summer might be long gone, but there are still crops that you can sow or plant now that will grow over the winter. Autumn onions You can grow onions from ‘sets’ planted in autumn. Sets are small underdeveloped onions, which have been heat treated to halt growth. They will get growing again, once planted, and you’ll harvest them next June or July. Prepare the ground by clearing away weeds, and raking smooth. Allow 25 – 30cm between plants and rows. Push sets into the ground until just the tips are showing. You may have to cover with netting to prevent birds from tweaking the onions out of the ground! Hoe along the rows regularly, to prevent weeds taking over. Harvest the onions next summer.

Onions are ready for harvest in mid-summer

Garlic Why not try growing some garlic? Just prepare the ground, as you would do for onions, and plant individual garlic cloves, 5 – 10cm deep, with 15cm between rows. You can try planting garlic cloves that come from a greengrocers, but those varieties are not always the best for growing in our climate. Garlic sold specifically for planting in the UK is often more likely to succeed especially if, like this year, we have a wet, dull winter and summer.

Home-grown garlic tastes and looks wonderful

Winter Lettuce Depending on the variety of seed you choose (see below for suggestions) you can sow now for your own fresh-grown lettuce in January. If you can, cover the growing plants with fleece or clear plastic supported on a frame. This is particularly useful in the worst of our winter weather. Good choices include: May King; Winter Density; Rouge d’Hiver

Winter lettuce

Oriental vegetables Crops such as mizuna, mustard greens, and salad mixtures, will grow through the winter except in the harshest weather. It’s wonderful to be able to harvest your own fresh green salads all year round. A cloche will help protect young leaves from biting winds, and freezing rain. All the varieties of winter lettuce and Oriental vegetables mentioned can be found in The Organic Gardening Catalogue.

Crunchy mizuna has a peppery flavour Learning point Can you think of other ways in which you can protect plants from the frost, heavy rain or wind?

Juicy sun-ripe tomatoes Learning point What is blossom end rot? What is the gas produced by the banana that helps the tomatoes to ripen?

Harvesting and cooking your vegetables Tomatoes You can eat tomatoes fresh as they are when you pick them (after a quick run under the tap). But they can be baked, stuffed, fried, and grilled. They can be used in soups, sauces, casseroles and lots of other dishes. You can also freeze them for use in the winter. Caring for your tomatoes As the season progresses continue to care for your tomatoes in the following way: Remove the side shoots, these are the shoots, which appear where the leaf stalk joins the stem. Remove the yellow leaves below the fruit trusses but do not remove too many leaves. Keep the soil moist- alternating dryness with flooding will cause blossom end rot or fruit splitting. If you have any unripened fruit at the end of the season: Remove the fruited trusses and lay them on a tray. Place the tray in an empty drawer. Place a banana next to the tray, the banana releases a gas, which helps to ripen the fruit.

Make some green tomato chutney to enjoy later in the year

If you have a glut of green tomatoes, ask an adult to help you, and try this recipe for green tomato chutney, you could sell the jars to raise funds to buy some seeds for next year. Please note that this recipe takes quite a lot of time to prepare and cook. Green Tomato Chutney Makes: 2.7kg Equipment you will need: Sterilised jam jars with screw top lids. Jam jars need to be very clean. To sterilise jars, wash in hot soapy water, rinse well and then place in a cool oven - 130°C/250°F/Gas ½ - for 15-20 minutes. Wax discs A large heavy bottomed saucepan Muslin bag Labels Ingredients: 1.8kg green tomatoes washed and chopped 675g onions peeled and chopped 450g cooking apples cored, peeled and chopped 450g soft brown sugar 600ml vinegar 225g seedless raisins or chopped dates 25g root ginger peeled and gently squashed 8 red chillies gently squashed 2 tsp salt How to make it: Place the tomatoes, onions, apple and half of the vinegar into a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for about 30 minutes or until tender. Place the gently squashed ginger and chillies into a muslin bag and add to the mixture. Add the raisins or dates. Continue cooking for 1 hour until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, remaining vinegar and salt, stirring until fully dissolved. Continue to simmer the mixture, pressing the muslin bag occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the mixture becomes thick, stirring occasionally. Remove the muslin bag. Leave the chutney to cool for 15-20 minutes then pack into the jam jars, cover with a wax disc and a screw top lid. Make some green tomato chutney labels for the jars and put the date that you made the chutney on the jars. Store the jars in a cool dark place for 4-6 weeks to let the flavour develop.

Runner beans are delicious served with a main meal

Runner beans Runner beans are delicious served as an accompaniment to a main meal. Wash and top and tail them (cut each end off), pull any strings off and then cut diagonally into pieces. Steam or boil them until they are starting to go soft (About 5 minutes). Do not overcook, as they will lose their flavour and all the good nutrients they contain. You could prepare them and try them raw in a salad or as a snack just on their own. Alternatively, use them with some other raw vegetables that you have harvested such as carrots, celery and radishes to dip in the following: Curry Dip 1 tbsp mango chutney 6 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tsp curry paste 2 tbsps crème friase Pinch of ground cumin How to make it: Cut up any large pieces of mango in the chutney and place in a small bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well together. Put in the fridge until required. Dip in your raw vegetables and enjoy.

Beetroot

Beetroot Beetroot can be harvested when it is small or left until it is larger. Just push a fork under the roots and lift them out of the soil. There are many ways of cooking beetroot including; boiling, roasting or pickling. To boil them; gently scrub the beetroot under running water, leave the roots on and cut the stalks to about 3cm. Put them in a saucepan of boiling water for 30 - 60 minutes or until tender, this will depend on the size of the beetroot. When cooked, drain and leave to cool. Then scrape off the skin, slice or leave whole, don’t worry if there are any leftovers as beetroot can also be eaten cold.

Plant spring flowering bulbs Plant a variety of bulbs (see examples below) so that you have colour from January through to May. Tulips can be planted as late as November and will still flower next year. Tulips – plant in November/December for flowers in April/May Daffodils – plant in August/September for flowers in March/April Snowdrops – plant in September/October for flowers in January-March Crocuses – plant in September/October for flowers in February-April Anemone – plant in November for flowers in February Fritillaria – plant in September-November for flowers in April

Cheer up your garden in spring with some colourful bulbs

Plants for free next year Save Seeds It is possible to save seed from lots of different flowers and vegetables at this time of year. You can store the seed over winter and sow it in the spring. Not only will you get lots of plants for free, you'll also get alot of satisfaction growing the seeds you saved. Here are some easy ones to start with. Pumpkin Harvest the pumpkins when the stalk at the top begins to shrivel, and the skin is hard. Leave it in a warm dry place for about three weeks. This gives the seeds a chance to increase in strength. Remove seeds from the flesh and rinse in a colander to clear away any flesh or stringy bits. Rub the seeds gently under running water until they are quite clean. Allow to dry naturally. A single layer on a tray is ideal. When dry, seeds will break in half rather than bend. Any seeds that are flat and empty are not viable. Store in an airtight container – glass or metal, not plastic – and in a cool dark place. A fridge is ideal but cupboards or wardrobes often make good storage places for seeds. Flowers Let the seed heads dry on their individual plants. Once they begin to turn brown cut them off and put into paper bags to finish drying. Label the bags clearly with the names of each plant. Hang the open bags in a warm, dry place until all the seeds have been released from the seedpod. You may need to shake the seed heads to get the seeds to fall out. Clean the seeds by gently blowing the outer shell (casings) away. Put each batch of seed in a paper envelope and label clearly. Do not use foil or plastic. Store over winter in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place. Early next spring find out the best time to sow the seed. Before sowing, leave the seeds open to the air for a couple of days to absorb moisture. Find out more about saving seed Download our 'How to' leaflet on Saving Seed Student and teacher's versions here (PDF - 76Kb)

Pumpkin seeds are easy to save Seedheads Learning points What does the term cross-pollination mean? What do we mean when we say that seed is viable? Why shouldn't we save seeds in plastic bags or plastic containers?

Pot up strawberry runners Now is the time of year when your strawberry plants will be producing runners, it’s easy to grow new plants from their runners. This is what you need to do: Fill some small pots (about 7cm) with potting compost. Select a healthy baby plant on a strawberry runner. Gently push the base of the baby plant into one of the pots. Secure the baby plant in place with some wire, which has been bent to form a hook. Cut off the end of the runner leaving the baby plant still attached to the main strawberry plant. Water the plantlet in and leave to root for a few weeks. When the plantlet has formed roots, cut it from the main plant. After a few more weeks you can plant it out into its final growing position.

Strawberry runners

Have an autumn tidy Clear away weeds and unwanted vegetation, and put all this material onto the compost heap. Don’t put weed seeds into a heap though – they’ll survive the composting process. Roots of difficult perennial weeds can be composted safely and easily. Throw the seed heads away. Put the weed roots into a black plastic sack. Tie up the top. Put the bag in an out-of-the-way corner and leave for several weeks, or even months. When the roots have become smelly sludge, add them to the compost heap. All the nutrients and minerals that they had absorbed from the soil will be returned to the compost, and from there, into your garden! Some difficult weeds: Dandelion, Bindweed, Couch Grass, Nettles, Ground Elder. Don't be too tidy! All garden creatures need food and shelter over winter. A too tidy garden may look neat but it will be inhospitable for beneficial creatures needing winter habitats. Here are some ideas: Leave some seed heads on plants. Birds need the food. Leave a pile or two of leaves under hedges, or in corners here and there. Insects and small mammals need the shelter. Make a pile of logs in a corner. Frogs and toads often hibernate in such places. Beetles need plenty of protection in winter weather. Leave some hollow-stemmed plants in the ground, or put the empty stems in with the leaves. Insects will use the tubes for hibernation. Don't cut clumps of bushy plants too low down. Leave plenty of dense growth for insects to snuggle into. Hang some hollow stems in a shrub or tree, out of the way. In very wet weather, hibernating creatures can drown if they are at ground level, and it becomes waterlogged.

Weed roots need to be composted in a different way Logs provide snug winter quarters Frogs often hibernate under a pile of logs Bushy grasses protect hibernating wildlife

Help to attract hedgehogs into your garden Slugs can be a problem in your garden but hedgehogs eat slugs as part of their diet. Hedgehogs like a garden that has plenty of cover and moist spots where slugs are likely to be found. Create a wild section in your garden by making a log pile with some old logs and leaving some grass to grow long. Hedgehogs also like patches of brambles, old leaves and twigs. Provide some water in a shallow dish for hedgehogs to drink. If you have a pond in your garden make sure that you provide a sloping stony bank so that small mammals can drink safely and escape. Take care when using gardening tools and tidying up as hedgehogs can get injured easily. They like to hide in piles of leaves, long grass and compost heaps. Activity: Make a simple hedgehog house Get a big, strong cardboard box. Cut two air vents in the sides about 15cm by 5cm and an entrance about 15cm in diameter. Put some shredded newspaper inside with some clean dry grass on top. Tuck the box near a hedge, with the entrance facing south if possible. Cover the top of the box with a piece of plastic sheet (you could use an old large opened up carrier bag). Cover the box with lots of small twigs to make a dome and then cover the twigs with dry grass and leaves. Have a look at our Indoor Activities and make some other homes for insects.

Help attract hedgehogs into your garden

Making leafmould As autumn leaves fall they can be collected up and put in a container. Once the container is full it can be left for a year until the leaves have rotted down to form leafmould. A leafmould container is easy to make. You will need: Four 4cm x 4cm posts, about 1.25 –1.50 metres long Chicken wire Knock the four posts into the ground to form a metre square. Chicken wire can then be nailed around the posts to form the container. There is no need to cover a leafmould bin. You can download the Garden Organic leaflet on making your own leafmould here (PDF 268Kb)

A leafmould container is easy to make

Sow green manures Now is the time to sow green manures on any areas where you have put down mulches to exclude light and kill unwanted weeds/grass. A green manure is a plant that can be used to improve your soil, give better drainage and provide weed control. From September onwards sow winter-hardy green manures, which include; grazing rye, field beans and tares. Green manure seeds are available from The Organic Gardening Catalogue. Find out more about green manures Have a look in the Organic Gardening Catalogue for information about green manures. School members can request a free copy of our step-by-step guide 'Green Manures for Organic Soil Improvement'. Our contact details are here

A green manure crop will keep the soil covered, smother weeds, and improve fertility

Only just starting? We are here to help you. If you are not a member of our Garden Organic for Schools project, you can join here, it's free and there are plenty of benefits. Use the full range of all the information available on our website, try the following links to get you started: Our 'How To' leaflets The 'Teaching Zone' The 'Learning Zone' Advice and Resources You might not be able to go out and dig at the moment, but there's plenty to be done between now and spring.

A selection of our downloadable leaflets

Outside tasks On a weedy site: Cut down all the long weeds and cover with a light-excluding covering (any of the following would do; black plastic sheeting, a weed-suppressing membrane, large sheets of cardboard spread out over the soil and weighed down). By keeping light out, weeds won't grow, and when you lift the cover next spring, it will be much easier to dig over. On a cleared site: Cover as above to prevent weeds growing again! You can put a layer of wet leaves down under the covering if you have them. These will break down during the winter months, and add useful organic material to the soil. Or you could grow a green manure (see above). Start building your compost heap. The contents of the heap will rot down and become garden compost – that wonderful fertile material that keeps the soil vibrant with life, and encourages strong healthy plant growth. Inside tasks Plan the garden for next year's crops. Draw up a crop rotation plan. Choose seeds for next year. Try some resistant vegetable varieties – there are lots to choose from now. The Organic Gardening Catalogue has some wonderful vegetable choices. Don't forget to order seeds of ornamental plants to attract beneficial pest-eating insects.

A light-excluding cover helps clear weeds Learning points What are the main reasons for crop rotation? What are the benefits of resistant vegetable varieties?

Indoor activities Great idea for a rainy day The start of a new school year is a good time to try the vegetable quiz. Check the latest newsletter for member schools password to the vegetable quiz. Click here to go to the Vegetable Quiz Investigate the many useful resources on our website Explore our website more and visit the 'Fun Zone' where you will find some word searches. Use your artistic and literary skills to make up your own gardening word searches and games. You can send them to us for other schools to try. Give your gardening club an image Create a logo for your school gardening club. Generate some ideas by investigating the Internet, magazines and looking at advertising boards for any logos that organisations and companies use. Discuss why you think the ones you have looked at would be successful or not.

Have a go at the Veg Quiz

Make a recipe book There will be a bumper crop of vegetables available from your garden now so why not get creative and use the produce to make up lots of different recipes. Try different combinations of herbs and vegetables to decide which you like and which go well together. Work out the amounts of each vegetable that you need. You can use standard measurements like grams and kilograms or non-standard like a handful or a pinch. Practice writing instructions, you could hand write them, or use a computer. Look through lots of recipe books and on the Internet for ideas. Don’t forget to include all of the ingredients, utensils, sizes of equipment and the method. Use a digital camera to photograph all of the stages of preparation and the finished dish. You could also use diagrams as part of you instructions. Play with words and invent an intriguing name for your dish. Design the front cover of you book and put all your recipes together. Send them to us so that we can share them with other schools on our website. Our full contact details are here. Start to do some planning By sowing and planting at the right time, you can be eating your own, homegrown produce all year round. Use the Cook’s Garden Planner, our website, the internet and your school calendar to plan the year ahead. Work out who’s going to do what and when. Make up a rota for regular jobs. Start to plan ahead; what seeds will you sow in the autumn and spring? Look through the Organic Gardening Catalogue for some inspiration. Perhaps you could think about growing some unusual varieties or vegetables you have not tasted before. Keep records of what and when you sowed. Take photos of your garden regularly to record your year-round progress. Record crop yields and find graphic ways to report them.

Make some winter homes for insects As the weather starts to turn colder insects and creatures in your garden will be looking for places to shelter. You can use recycled materials to build suitable homes for them. Take a look at The Organic Gardening catalogue or do a search on the Internet to find examples of wildlife homes that have been manufactured by different companies. Which ones do you think will work best? Then follow our instructions or design and make your own winter homes for your garden friends. Lacewing Hotels Lacewings can eat up to 10.000 aphids in their life. Just what the organic gardener needs! Look at the Garden Organic factsheet on lacewings to find out more about this fascinating insect and instructions on 'how to construct a lacewing hotel' Ladybird House Most ladybirds and their young (larvae) are carnivorous, feeding on and helping to control large numbers of insect pests, particularly greenfly. Use an old plastic food container, like a margarine tub or ice cream tub. Put holes in the lid with a knitting needle or something similar. (Take care when using sharp object and get an adult to help if you need it.) Stuff the inside of the box with straw and put the lid on. Place the tub on its side, under a bush or large plant to keep it dry over the winter. Ladybirds and other predators will crawl in and be protected from the cold, rain and wind of the winter months ready to help you out in the garden come the springtime. Look at the Garden Organic factsheet on Ladybirds to find out more about this much-respected insect. Identification charts Make your own identification charts for insects, vegetables, flowers, fruits and trees. Use photographs, pictures from magazines, or your own artistic skills to create the chart. Research each subject and write some fascinating facts that will go with the pictures. When you go outside again you can take the charts to help you identify things in your garden and the countryside around you.

Make your own lacewing hotel to hang in a tree Learning points How many eggs do female lacewings lay? How many pairs of wings do lacewings have? What does the word carnivorous mean? What other insects do ladybirds eat?

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