SUMMERTIME AND THE HARVESTS ARE EASY

The long summer days are a time to enjoy and Stephanie Haffert is making the most of harvesting fruit and sowing late crops

The summer solstice around June 21(this year it actually falls at 22:44 on the 20th) is the longest day of the year. Light increases each day before the solstice, encouraging exuberant growth in the garden. After the longest day, every day there is a little less daylight, but the s warmth and sunshine continue to encourage abundance in my allotment and polytunnel.

GETTING FRUITY

June is such a fruitful month. The first few precious handfuls of strawberries and summer fruiting raspberries lead to a succession of delicious soft fruit redcurrants, tayberries, Japanese wineberries, gooseberries, blue blackcurrant, and more. Delicious sprinkled on breakfast oats, munched sun-kissed straight from the plant or made into summer pudding, the fruit freezes easily too for vitamin-rich winter compotes and baking.