Sow in August

Autumn and winter vegetables: pak choi, oriental greens, winter lettuce, spring cabbage, turnips, spinach, and chard. Biennials — last call for honesty, foxgloves, and sweet williams. From late August, you can also start autumn-sowing hardy annuals like cornflowers, larkspur, and ammi for stronger plants and earlier flowers next year. Plant out seedlings from earlier sowings into their final positions.

Not for fast crops. Salad leaves, radishes, spring onions, and Oriental greens will all crop within a month or two from an August sowing. Spinach, chard, and winter lettuce will continue growing slowly through autumn and into early winter. A new vegetable patch starting now can be productive by October.

Late August through to early October is the window. The aim is seedlings about 5–10cm tall going into the cold months — small enough to harden off, big enough to survive winter. Sow in modules and overwinter in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse for best results, or direct-sow into well-prepared beds in mild areas.

Deadhead religiously — every spent flower removed encourages more buds. Cut whole stems rather than just the flower head; this triggers regrowth from lower nodes. Feed weekly with a high-potash feed. Water consistently, particularly during hot spells. A well-tended cosmos will keep flowering until the first proper frost in October or November.