As we approach the summer solstice, our plans begin to turn towards what we hope to harvest in autumn and winter. It feels a strange time for this transition, right in the midst of long heady summer days where calendars are busy and many things feel possible.

It is the nature of growing and seed stewarding that often orients us towards the future. But here's a gentle reminder to appreciate all the hard work that's brought you to this present moment - revel in your harvests and give thanks to the earth for its bounty.

Seeds to sow in June

Keep your successional sowings going for herbs like Basil and Coriander as well as Lettuce.

If you haven't already sown your winter brassicas here is a reminder - get your Kale, Sprouting Broccoli, Swedes and Brussel Sprouts sown as soon as possible.

From now until mid July is the perfect time to sow your Chicory and Radicchio (see below) and if you wait until after the summer solstice (June 21) your sowings of Kohlrabi, Asian Greens, Florence Fennel and Chicory will be slower to bolt. It's also a good time to get start your later sowings of Beetroot and Carrots.

Don't forget that you can also continue to direct sow flowers like Poppies, Zinnia, Cosmos, Sunflower and Nasturtium - perfect for filling any gaps as you begin to harvest your crops.

For a full list of things you can sow this month click on the link below:

Time to sow chicory and radicchio

It’s almost time to sow your chicory and radicchio!

There’s a very fine window of time to sow your chicory and radicchio, usually between mid-June to mid-July, with the first week of July considered optimal.

They’re a wonderful and diverse crop, a great filler for garden gaps and a fantastic addition to your autumn/winter harvests. Enjoy them either as pops of beauty and bitter sweetness in your winter salads or cooked in delicious hearty soups and stews.

We have a range of delicious radicchio and chicory seeds available on our website. Read on to find out more about them:

• ​Castelfranco - The queen of radicchios and one of the best autumn/winter salad leaves. It’s best eaten raw to preserve its beautiful variegated leaves and a flavour much sweeter than other radicchio types. They’re known as the ‘tulip of winter’ after the beautiful displays of Castelfranco in Italian fresh produce markets.

• ​Radicchio Treviso Early - Hailing from Treviso, one of the epicentres of radicchio production in Italy, this is an early type with tight elongated heads that form in late Autumn. With a deep red and white patterning they bring a fantastic pop of colour to winter salads but can also be cooked.

• ​Radicchio Treviso Late - Another variety from Treviso, this time a forcing chicory bred for forcing through the winter months (tardivo means late in Italian) to produce delicious ‘chicons’. To force the plants are dug up in the late autumn/winter and continue to grow indoors in complete darkness. As the outside leaves rot, deliciously mild, crunchy curled leaves emerge from the centre of the plant.

• ​Puntarelle - Unlike other chicory varieties which are grown for their leaves, Puntarelle is grown for its flowering shoots. The young shoots form a ‘head’ at the base of the plant and are julienned into thin strips which are then soaked in cold water to remove some of their bitterness. In the water they twist and curl into elegant crisp and crunchy shapes which are then served with a punchy dressing to make a lovely late autumn salad.

• ​Catalogna Gigante di Chioggia - Also known as dandelion greens, the leaves make some of the best sautéing greens around, sweet with a slight bitter edge. They can be blanched in salty water to remove some of the bitterness if desired. Drain and fry up with garlic and chilli for a truly delicious side dish.

• ​Chioggia (506TT) - A classic Palla Rossa (red ball) type radicchio forming a dense round head of red and white leaves. Chioggia is the most common type of radicchio although developed fairly recently. It is just as at home on the grill covered in olive and balsamic as it is chopped raw into a winter salad. A firm favourite among gardeners and growers.

• ​Radicchio Rosa ‘Jolanda’ - A beautiful and early salmon-pink radicchio variety forming loose heads from October. This one is a real show-stopper! A really unique radicchio making the most exquisitely pink leaves unlike no other leafy veg we have grown before. ‘Jolanda’ is an early selection of Rosa (which often tends to be a later-cropping type) so it’s much better suited to the UK climate.

Spring cabbage kraut recipe

Good for your gut and your tastebuds! Here's a yummy June recipe from Sarah and Aitana at the little cooking pot. ​

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Spring cabbage kraut - Makes a 1.5 litre Kilnar jar

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2 spring cabbages, such as Hispi

Sea salt

Heaped tbsp caraway seeds

Handful of calendula petals (optional)

• Sterilise a 1.5 litre Kilner jar (or similar size jar with a clip top lid)
• Use a sharp knife to quarter each cabbage lengthways and remove and compost the thick white core. Slice each quarter width ways, into thin strips between 0.5-1cm thick. You’ll need a mixing bowl large enough to fit all the cabbage in. Pop your bowl onto a set of scales and weigh the chopped cabbage. You want to add 2% of the total weight of cabbage in salt. To calculate this take the total weight (X) / 100 x 2. For example, if you have 1.6k of cabbage 1600/100 x 2 = 32g salt
• Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage and use your hands to scrunch it in. Keep squeezing and scrunching until the cabbage softens and starts to release water. Add the caraway seeds and keep scrunching. Once the cabbage turns slightly translucent and a brine has formed, add the calendula petals, if using, and mix well. Transfer everything to your jar, pushing down the cabbage as you go, so the brine rises up. Everything needs to be submerged, so if your cabbage hasn’t released enough liquid, you’ll need to make a 2% salt water brine to top it up (Use the same formula for this as before)
• Seal the jar, pop it onto a plate to catch as juices that bubble up and label & date it. Leave the jar somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight to ferment. Open the lid once a day to let out any gases built up. As it ferments you should see little bubbles starting to form. In cooler months, we’d leave our saurkraut to ferment for around 2 weeks but our last batch was ready in just 4 days. It’s readiness is also up to your palette, so after the initial 3-4 days fermenting keep trying the kraut until It tastes good to you.
• Once you’re happy with the flavour, transfer to the fridge. Remember to push the cabbage back down into the brine each time you take some to eat. And once you’ve eaten this batch you can use any remaining brine to kickstart your next.

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Enjoy!

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​All the best and happy growing :)

Chloe and the rest of the team

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for our Second Spring seed collection...coming soon!