Stretching summer

With apologies to my Scottish friends who have had several days of rain, it seems really weird preparing veg for an October show in shorts, flip-flops and a t-shirt! It has allowed me to spend the whole day pulling and matching up my tap roots, and cleaning leek roots with a hosepipe and not have to worry about getting hypothermia.

I've been very happy with my leeks this season considering the minimal amount of attention I have lavished upon them. I've had to overstrip a couple due to 4 or 5 split flags which I think is down to a lack of water during the last few months. Still if I can grow them this well through neglect i'm really looking forward to next year when I intend to devote far more time to their culture.

And i've managed to get a pair of long beet for the collection of tap roots at Westminster. They're really far too big to contend but it's shown me that I can grow them and it's another crop I shall be hoping to improve upon next season. A later sowing should give me more refined, tapering roots for Malvern.