Breaking the 10kg Barrier: Beetroot Success, Plug Plant Pride & The Production Line

We have officially crossed the rubicon. The slow, shivering days of May are a distant memory, and the mid-June production line is officially moving. If you had told me a few weeks ago, while I was frantically hauling trays into the conservatory to escape a 2°C freeze, that we’d be hitting double-digit harvests by mid-month, I’d have laughed you off the plot.

​But the scales don’t lie. The summer abundance is starting to arrive, and it is led by a very purple wave.

​1. The Great Beetroot Bounty

​The beetroot I spotted bursting out of the dirt in our last update was pulled, weighed, and tasted—and it is a massive success.

​I harvested a clean kilogram of it in one go. The taste is absolutely incredible, and the best part is that there is still loads of it left in the ground. Because an After-Hours plot relies entirely on momentum, I didn’t just celebrate the harvest; I immediately used the newly cleared space to get a succession sowing of more beetroot straight into the soil.

​2. Catching Up & Embracing the Plug Plants

​After falling behind on my sowing rhythm during the great plant-out, the patio has transformed back into a nursery. I’ve spent my evenings catching up, and the next wave is already underway:

• ​A dedicated bucket of carrots
• ​A fresh pot of spring onions
• ​A tray of mixed salad greens
• ​A tray of dwarf beans

​I’ve also accepted that when you work a 9-to-5 and manage a family, time is a premium resource. So, when I saw a tray of purple sprouting broccoli plug plants for £3, I didn't hesitate. Honestly, don't be ashamed of plugs, lads! It saves weeks of windowsill faff and guarantees a strong start. I’ll be complementing them by sowing some more broccoli from seed shortly, along with another round of cucumbers to keep the greenhouse production line ticking over.

​3. The Leftover Tetris

​As for the leftover bottleneck? The squashes are far too established to need replacing now, so I’ve given up holding onto "just-in-case" spares.

​I’m still trying to pawn off the remaining tomatoes to any colleague or friend who shows even a passing interest in gardening. For the ones that don't find a home, I am playing a high-stakes game of garden Tetris—finding literally any empty corner, bucket, or patch of dirt to squeeze them into. On the plus side, nearly all of the peppers are officially planted out now, so the patio is slowly looking less like a garden centre loading bay.

​📊 The 2026 Harvest Tracker (Target: 100kg)

​This is the big headline of the week. Thanks to the beetroot bounty and the steady trickle of salad greens, we have smashed right through our first major milestone of the year.

• ​Current 2026 Total: 10.970kg
• ​Remaining to Target: 89.030kg

​We are officially 10% of the way to the ultimate 100kg goal! From here on out, the harvests are going to start coming in thick and fast. Once the 12 tomato varieties, the greenhouse cucumbers, and the massive squash army start producing, these numbers are going to skyrocket.

​Are you a seed purist, or are you happy to drop a few quid on plug plants when time gets tight? Let me know your thoughts (and your favourite beetroot recipes) in the comments below!