Swiss chard, Japanese bunching onions, rocket and mangetout will feed you come rain, shine or slugsAs summer unfurls and the price of fresh food is likely to hike – due to the lack of pickers – it makes sense, and brings much joy, to turn to your garden or balcony or rooftop and say, “What can we do here?” If I can offer any gentle advice to those starting out, it is to choose vegetables that let you harvest all summer long (rather than waiting until the end of July for the first ripe tomato or early September for sweetcorn); that are edible at all stages, so nothing goes to waste; that don’t mind a wet August, can shrug off slug attacks and aren’t desperate for high fertility. Meet the gang that will feed you whatever the summer brings.Humble, reliable swiss chard can withstand maltreatment, drought, neglect and even slugs to give you abundant glossy green leaves. Sow now, and again in August, and you’ll have plants for winter and a spring supply, too. Sow direct or in modules, spacing 35cm (14in) apart each way, so they can grow deep roots to mine the nutrients below. You need four or five plants for a family of four. My favourites are Fordhook Giant for monster leaves, Pink Passion for neon-coloured stems and Golden Chard to catch the long, slanting late summer light. Continue reading…
Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Easy-peasy veg that keeps giving all summer long | Alys Fowler
