NATIONAL Allotment Week (11th–17th August ) is just around the corner, with August being a great time for sowing and planting a wide variety of crops that will provide a fresh, nutrient-packed harvest well into the colder months and early next year. Whether you have an allotment or a vegetable patch in your garden space, the team at British Garden Centres has put together this guide to offer the perfect inspiration to plan and plant now for a kitchen garden that satisfies through late autumn and winter.
Many gardeners think the growing season ends with summer, but the truth is the hopefully warmer August days offer a prime opportunity to extend grow your own right through to the new year. When soil temperatures remain warm and daylight lingers, the cool weather crops flourish. By sowing or planting now, you can fill gaps where summer crops have finished and prepare your plot to burst more leaves, root vegetables, and pods as the weather cools.
What you can sow in August
With the theme of this year’s week being Allotments and Wellbeing, we’ve put together our top picks for nutritious but tasty crops you can grow for a healthier you.
Radishes are one of the quickest and easiest crops to sow during late summer. They thrive in well drained, fertile soil and produce crisp, mildly peppery roots in just a few weeks. Radishes fit perfectly into tight spaces and mature rapidly, making them ideal for filling garden gaps, container planting and providing fresh crunch for autumn salads and snacks.
Spinach, especially hardy varieties like ‘Superhero,’ is another excellent choice to plant now. This leafy green is particularly resilient; it tolerates cooler temperatures and resists bolting, even when the weather turns chilly. Spinach is a great crop to grow for wellbeing as it provides a sustained supply of nutritious greens to brighten winter meals.
Swiss chard, including varieties such as ‘Apollo’ and ‘Celebration,’ add splashes of colour to your autumn garden with its bright stems. These leafy vegetables grow well in cooler conditions and hold their flavour even after frost. Their leaves are rich in vitamins, making them a welcome addition to any winter vegetable patch.
Mustard greens and rocket offer more punchy, peppery flavours, bringing variety to your cold season greens after being sown this August. Both crops respond well to late summer sowing and can be harvested repeatedly through cut-and-come-again methods, ensuring continuous fresh leaves for salads, sandwiches, and stir-fries.
For those wanting to grow healthy root vegetables, turnips can be sown in fertile soil this Allotment Week for an excellent winter crop. Besides the roots themselves, which can be cooked and used in your dishes, the tender leaves are also edible and nutritious. Carrots are another staple, and varieties such as ‘Autumn King 2’ are perfect for late sowing and will develop sweet, dense roots over the coming months.
Broad beans are not just a spring crop; they have some autumn varieties that can be sown now to establish robust plants for an early harvest next season. Varieties like ‘The Sutton’ and ‘Aquadale Claudia’ are particularly suited to later sowings and show resilience to colder soil and weather.
Winter lettuces, such as ‘Winter Gem’ and ‘Valdor,’ can be sown this Allotment Week and will provide crisp, tender leaves as temperatures drop. Sowing these now, especially under protection like cloches or fleece, ensures a luscious supply of salad through the colder months.
Autumn onions and shallots can be started now to set a strong foundation for next season’s bulbs, while containers or bags filled with seed potatoes like ‘Charlotte’ or ‘Maris Peer’ can be moved indoors before the frost for a festive Christmas harvest.
And don’t forget garlic – varieties like ‘Provence Wight, Carcassonne’ & ‘Provence’ thrive when planted now and into autumn, establishing strong roots through the colder months for an early summer harvest.
Preparing your plot for National Allotment Week
To give your vegetables the best possible start, enrich your beds with plenty of compost or organic matter, ensuring good drainage and a weed free seedbed. Spacing is important as overcrowding weakens plants and increases disease risk. Thin seedlings thoughtfully to encourage strong root and leaf development. Using protective coverings such as horticultural fleece, cloches, or netting will help shelter tender crops from early frosts, birds, slugs, and other pests. Regular watering during establishment is essential, but avoid heavy, soggy soil, which may encourage rot.
Julian Palphramand, Head of Plants at British Garden Centres, said: We are proud to support National Allotment Week, championing the many benefits allotment gardening brings to communities and individuals alike. Our centres offer a wide selection of seeds, seedlings, gardening tools, and expert advice to ensure your autumn and winter crops thrive.”
British Garden Centres (BGC) is the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group with 73 centres around the country. The group is owned and led by the Stubbs family, who also own and operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire.
BGC was launched in 1990 with the opening of Woodthorpe Garden Centre by brothers Charles and Robert Stubbs. Since 2018, it has expanded rapidly with the acquisition of 50 garden centres, allowing it to grow from its heartland to the business it is now, with 73 garden centres spread from Carmarthen to Ramsgate, Wimborne to East Durham.
The group has a team of 3000 colleagues working across the garden centres, restaurants, growing nurseries, distribution centres, Woodthorpe Leisure Park, and Woody’s Restaurant & Bar.
| British Garden Centres (BGC) is the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group with 73 centres around the country. The group is owned and led by the Stubbs family, who also own and operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire. BGC was launched in 1990 with the opening of Woodthorpe Garden Centre by brothers Charles and Robert Stubbs. Since 2018, it has expanded rapidly with the acquisition of 50 garden centres, allowing it to grow from its heartland to the business it is now, with 73 garden centres spread from Carmarthen to Ramsgate, Wimborne to East Durham.The group has a team of 3000 colleagues working across the garden centres, restaurants, growing nurseries, distribution centres, Woodthorpe Leisure Park, and Woody’s Restaurant & Bar. |
