Overview
- Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, zucchini and basil should be picked immediately at the first frost warning, while hardy greens like kale, Brussels sprouts, field salad and spinach can stay in place.
- Sowing fast growers such as spinach, rucola, field salad, mizuna and late radishes this week can still yield in roughly 3–6 weeks, especially with repeated cut-and-come-again harvests.
- Overwintering options remain viable with winter onions, garlic and broad beans, and some chard can persist under cover for harvests next season.
- Frost protection with garden fleece (effective to about −5°C), culture nets, and mulch from straw or conifer branches can extend harvesting by two to three weeks.
- Prepare and preserve now by clearing beds, loosening soil 20–30 cm and adding compost, and store harvests near 5°C with high humidity while canned goods keep best at 10–15°C.