The young leaves at the top of the stalk are known as “sprout tops”; harvest, cook, and eat them like spring greens.
Sprouts are said to taste better after the first frost. Start picking them from the bottom of the stalks, working your way upwards as they grow larger.
Both autumn and winter cabbage varieties are ready for cutting now.
Continue lifting maincrop carrots to eat or to store – although they can be left in the ground for later in the winter.
Harvest cauliflowers as you need them. Unless it is very cold, there’s no hurry as they’ll have stopped growing.
Dig up the entire roots and trim them before use.
Celeriac is best left in the ground and harvested only when needed. In very cold weather a covering of straw helps protect them, but they should be able to survive temperatures as low as -10ºC.
Harvest trench-grown celery now.
Pick the berries when their colour darkens to a rich, deep red.
Both curly-leaved or frisée varieties and flat-leaved, Batavian types will continue cropping through the winter, if protected by fleece or cloches.
Beans intended for drying may be left on the plants until the pods have completely dried out.
At last, patience is rewarded: after nine months in the ground, the first artichokes should finally be ready to lift.
Harvest full-grown leaves now, and over the winter. Kale is extremely hardy.
Modern varieties are reasonably hardy and will withstand moderate frosts, but if temperatures are very low, protect plants with fleece or cloches.
Use a fork to dig up leeks or you’ll risk snapping off the stem.
Pick the last autumn lettuces now.
Komatsuna, mibuna, mizuna, chop suey greens, Chinese broccoli, mustard greens, and choy sum will all last until now, if given protection.
Harvest, or leave them in the ground.
Autumn raspberries will produce fruit until the first frost. In mild regions or sheltered spots, that might be as late as November.
Land cress, corn salad, rocket, winter purslane, and some of the Oriental brassicas will still provide leaves for salads if protected against frost.
Winter spinach varieties are fast-growing and bred to tolerate shorter days; they should crop this month. Provide protection in severe weather.
Harvest spinach either by taking off a few outer leaves at a time or by uprooting the whole plant.
Pick any remaining spears, before hardier types take over in the new year.
Lift swedes now or leave them if they are not becoming too large.
All leaf beets are fairly foolproof. They’re hardy, withstand neglect, and resist attacks from pests and diseases.
Lift turnips if there is any danger of the ground freezing. You can store them for use later in winter.
Oriental varieties sown in July may be lifted or left alone for a couple of months.
Text and photographs copyright © 2010 Alan Buckingham.