SEPTEMBER 24
Welcome to our first ever subscription box!
This page is dedicated to your September box and we will add helpful videos to this as we start sowing and growing!
The first sow-a-long video is now live so scroll down towards the bottom of the page to watch it!
But first thing is first let’s dive into what is in the box….if you haven’t opened your box yet then stop scrolling now and go and check out your seed surprises!
What's in the box?
For our first month it was important to us to give you some quick wins. Particularly after the challenging growing year we have had!
We do also have a get couple of get ahead items too that we are sure you will love!
You will find:
Onion ‘Tonda Musona’
Pak Choi ‘Tai Sai’
Radish ‘White Icicle’
Lettuce ‘Rouge D’Hiver’
Spinach ‘Giant Winter’
Plus your bonus introductory seed packet which is Sainfoin, a green manure.
All of these seeds can be sown now and we can make further sowings with them early next year.
Each seed packet tells you the month it has been packed for so that you can easily identify which box they were in if you need to refer back in the future.
We have included some FSC Certified lolly pop sticks for you to use as plant labels. These are fully biodegradable.
There is even a Pukka Organic tea bag so that you can make yourself a nice cup of tea and enjoy some seed sowing time!
WATCH OUR LIVE UNBOXING VIDEO
RECIPES!
CIPOLLE AL FORNO (BAKED ONIONS)
BRAISED RADISHES
SESAME PAK CHOI
LETTUCE RISOTTO WITH SPRING ONIONS
HAND-CUT SPINACH PASTA
Kitchen garden jobs for September
September marks the start of Autumn and whilst it is always sad to leave summer behind it is also exciting to start embracing what the new season brings.
In the kitchen garden it feels like we can start to bring some order to our lives after months of relentless weeds. We can start preparing the garden for cooler autumn temperatures and help along some of our crops ready for autumn harvests.
Here are some jobs you can complete this month.
- As your asparagus foliage starts to die back, cut it down to 10cm above the soil level.
- Remove the growing tips of your tomato plants by cutting the main stem a couple of leaves above the highest truss of tomatoes. Remove all lower leaves to aid air flow.
- Sow green manures after you clear an area of ground so that you are not leaving bare soil.
- Remove the growing tips from your squash plants and any newly formed fruits so that the plants can put their energy into ripening the largest fruits. Lift your squash fruits off the ground with a brick or tile to prevent them rotting in wet weather.
- It is a good time to turn your compost heap now as you will be adding lots of plant matter to it.
- Lift maincrop potatoes
- Prune blackberries after picking by cutting back the canes that carried this years fruit back to the ground. Tie in new canes ready for next year.
HELP! I Don't know where to begin!
Don’t worry at all – we completely understand.
We have recorded a sow-a-long video for you so please do watch that when you have a chance but here are the basics of seed sowing too!
If you are using modules:
Fill your trays with a loose, clump free, free draining compost – don’t press the soil down too hard.
Lightly make a dimple in each module/cell with your finger and sow your seeds in each module as instructed.
Cover with a thin layer of compost and lightly water with a fine spray.
If you are using trays:
Fill the tray with compost as with the modules, there is no need to fill to the top of the tray. 3/4 full should be plenty. Don’t press the soil down too much but make sure it is an even layer.
Where we recommend a couple of seeds per cell, you can sow a couple of seeds together, leave a small gap and sow a couple more or you can scatter them lightly over the soil surface. Don’t over sow – it is better for your seedlings to have space to grow!
Cover with a thin layer of compost and lightly water with a fine spray.
Don’t over think anything. If ever you are in doubt, always remember this general rule – a seed needs to be sown to a depth of around 2-3 times the size of the seed, so the larger the seed, the deeper you can go!
Keep the compost moist, but not soaking wet and don’t let it dry out!
Always remember to label your seeds – even the best gardeners will forget what they have sown if the seeds are not labelled!
