August Update from Kent Veg Box

The plants have responded so all the crops planted in Spring are growing like crazy and there is an abundance of crops available for our boxes.

Here's a quick round up of what we see happening during August

Salads

Outdoor Tomatoes, Cucumbers & Peppers have just started to crop. Everyone seems delighted with the cropping, so hopefully a good season ahead. Under cover are, as you'd expect, ahead of open field crops but all are in full flow.

Lettuce and Salad Leaves again are readily available, with a rush now to crop before they go to seed. Bigger growers stagger planting to cope, but even so a large section of the crop can 'bolt' in the right conditions.

Vegetables

Leaf veg such as Spinach & Chard are growing fast so you could see some big leaves now available. All perfectly edible of course, despite what the supermarkets have told us... The dryer weather means that you should find less snails etc in your crops (no spray see) compared to the wet period during July. If it rains just before cropping they will appear though, but they are no trouble.

In the ground we now have the first crops of root veg appearing, with Beetroot, the earliest, growing to a good size. Remember, if you get them, beet leaves are a great leaf veg. They don't really keep so using them quickly.

We now have a good crop of Carrots appearing. When I first started (nearly 20 years ago) there was only one consistent grower of carrots in Kent. This year we now have three so carrots in Kent are in good supply. As the month continues, they too should swell up, giving our producers a much better yield.

On the ground there is a tsunami of crops available.

Spring Onions are still cropping well. Fennel has started with a good swell on the bulbs. Mid-August we should see Sweetcorn appear. You'll need to be quick to get some as it comes along all at once.

Now we come to Courgettes and their cousins. I think the only word I can use is GLUT. it has been perfect weather for them, and all growers report a flood of crops. If, unlike you know who, you don't care about size and shape, there are literally tonnes. We use large Courgettes up to Marrow size (which is nothing but a big courgette) in our boxes. Dirt cheap and if not used they get feed to chickens as waste. There are lots of types around now, so keep an eye out for round ones, white ones, start shaped ones (patty pans). All are basically Courgettes.

Greenhouse crops of Aubergines and Green Beans have also started, always a welcome addition to the veg range this time of year.

We have plenty of basic Brassicas, Cauli/Cabbage/Broc available but going over is a constant issue, particularly the Broc. We should see some Purple Sprouting towards the end of the month, but it is all very weather dependent.

Towards the end of the month the 'Winter Squashes' start to appear. There are many varieties available now, so many that the dull Butternut doesn't get much of a look in. It starts with early varieties, such as Rolet, followed by Red Kuri/Sunspot.

Kent Fruit

All the soft fruit is readily available. The core triumvirate of Strawberries, Raspberries & Blackberries are flowing. Cherries will be with us for until mid-August, with Apricots and Plums hopefully getting to the end of the month.

We usually get the first variety of Apples (Discovery) mid to late August, with Pears usually taking until early September.

Phew, that's it! August is a wonderful month for Kent Fruit & Veg. There's never been a better time to commit to our Kent farmers & producers.

Ask at your farmers market or farm shop for Kent produce. There’s plenty around!

Steve – Kent Veg Box