Early September has so far been a mixture of unpredictable showers and sunny spells. We have been gardening in T-shirts one minute and running for shelter from the sudden downpours the next.  This week we are harvesting  sweet corn, picking the last of the cucumbers, courgettes and beans and adding tasty young kale and oriental leaves to salads, curries and stir fries.

The days are starting to show a chill in the air and the summer crops are winding down. The cucumbers and courgette leaves are yellowing and giving way to the inevitable autumn mildew. The runner beans are slowing down and trying to fatten their pods to make seeds for next year and the last of the tomatoes are ripening and splitting with the wet weather.

As the summer crops fade the autumn and winter crops now start coming into their own. The oriental leaves we recently sowed are starting to flourish in the cooler and wetter weather. The different textures and colours of the leaves provide a welcome ornamental effect in the garden now. The winter radishes are plumping up and the kale and chard look stronger and turn more vivid shades of green and red each week.