Growing

As a productive growing season nears its end, Sara Ward is picking, eating and storing her crops, while making sure her bees are happy too

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Many have asked over the years whether the long school summer holidays were initially planned to coincide with farming tasks and harvest time. It's certainly handy to be around for preserving the bounty and there's always tasks for the wider family to help with, both in the home garden and the allotment. However, going away during August requires a bit of planning, especially when growing our own. Plants, particularly those in pots, still need regular watering and when crops are ready, we must be there to gather them in before the squirrels nab them.

Several years ago, I was delighted to arrive home after a week in France to discover a huge crop of ripe figs gently dripping nectar and perfect for eating straightaway - just one week later and they would have been ruined. Yet last year our return from holiday revealed that every single one of our Italian flat peaches had vanished. Something small with a bushy tail had already discovered that they'd reached their delicious peak.

There are many ways to keep your plants watered while you are away on holiday, but regardless of who is doing what, I find it’s worth moving all the pots close together, so none are left out of sight and potentially neglected.