I need to be out harvesting potatoes. I don’t know about you though, but for me it has been a blustery week. I have been forcing myself to go out and get fresh air and to keep up the garden in a minimalistic way.

I do feel that as soon as it is nice you should spend hours in the garden and when it is horrid only do the bare minimum.

So I have been harvesting potatoes, putting them into jute storage bags and then hanging them in the dry part of the garden shed. You can do the same with your beetroot, carrots etc, but only if they are suffering in the ground. If they are still growing, I would leave them in the ground for as long as possible, until the first frosts.

I have also been harvesting pears and bottling them. Apples and freezing them in slices or bottling them. Raspberries and freezing them. I am collecting enough raspberries to make jam, but it will take me about a week.

Get rid of any unwanted pea and bean plants. Some of my beans turned to rubber - as they do when they become old. So I have got rid of them onto the compost heap. In this space I have planted out more rocket.

Now many of you will be worried about your tomatoes ripening. I cut off all the flowers and ½ of the leaves. I have been brutal. But I believe that all the energy now created will head towards the fruit and help to ripen them. If this doesn’t work them I find that green tomato chutney makes an excellent Christmas present.