Spinach

Sow corn salad in September: the hardiest winter salad for your raised bed

Corn salad is the only salad that survives real frost and stays tender. September is the last good sowing window — wait any longer and you'll go without fresh salad until spring.

Overwintering chard in your raised bed: decide now, harvest till December

If you don't pull your chard out now, you can keep harvesting well into November and December. Chard is hardier than its reputation. Here's what to do — and what to leave alone.

The September switch: clearing summer crops and planting your autumn bed

September is the month of the big changeover. Tomatoes are winding down, courgettes are getting tired — and the space they leave behind is some of the most valuable growing ground of the whole year.

Radishes in September: the last sowing before winter

September is the last month when radishes really work. Cool nights make them crispier and sharper than anything you grew in summer. Sow now, harvest in mid-October — just before everything stops.

Sow rocket in August: four weeks to your first harvest

Rocket is the fastest harvest in the autumn raised bed. Sow now and you'll be cutting the first round in four weeks — sharper, more aromatic than in summer, and again and again through to November. Nothing else grows this quickly.

Plant broccoli in August: still time for an October harvest

Anyone who puts broccoli seedlings in now will be harvesting in October. The window is tight — but it's enough. Broccoli actually makes more sense in autumn than in spring: fewer pests, firm heads, better flavour in the cold.