20
MINUTES TO SPARE
Sow an oriental salad mix in a pot outside for tasty leaves later in the autumn. Fill the pot with peat-free compost, sprinkle the seeds thinly on the surface and cover lightly with sieved compost. Then, taking care to avoid displacing the tiny seeds, water with a fine rose attachment. Don’t let the surface dry out.
Different varieties ripen at different times, from now up to late autumn
Give apples a ripeness test
Assess whether your apples are ready to pick by choosing one with good colour for the variety then twisting it slightly in your hand. If that’s enough for the stalk to detach easily then it is ripe. You could also wait for some to drop off the tree and of course the absolute decider with dessert apples may be taking a bite to see if it tastes sweet enough to eat.
If you pick too early the fruit won’t be sweet enough, so if they aren’t ready, leave them to pick later.