Weekend 7 October
On the plot
- The weather this weekend has been lovely – in fact much better than it was in July.
- Clearing of the plots is really underway now, with many crops being over and done with. Digging is quite hard going as the heavy rain followed by really dry period has left the ground rock hard. The soil (if it can be called that), really holds fast to weed roots.
- The whiteflies are still much in evidence – maybe a keen frost if we get one will wipe them out. I don’t think the mild winters that we have had recently have helped us – but they have certainly helped the whitefly.
- This weekend we seemed to have a couple of swarms of wasps showing great interest in our laurel bushes. Not sure what they found so interesting about them?
- Continue to find plenty of fresh vegetables and salad for the kitchen and still picking raspberries, blackberries and alpine strawberries although the blackberries and raspberries are showing signs that they will not be producing much more fresh fruit.
- The chrysanthemum cuttings taken at the beginning of the year only produced smallish plants. The one or two flowers that are blooming are really short and no use for a vase. I think I am going to dig them up and pot them up to try and encourage stronger plants for next year. Last year they produced some really good sprays of flowers for indoors last year but it looks as though I am going to be disappointed this year.
In the garden
- Picked some more pears off the tree in the garden.
- There are still lots of fruit falling from the John Downie crab apple tree and bombarding the plants growing underneath.
- The Michaelmas’ daisies continue to flourish with not a sign of mildew. Apparently the conditions that we have ‘suffered’ this summer are not conducive to mildew – I suppose there had to be something positive about our strange ‘summer’.
- This year I planted some gladioli in the garden which were supposed to be smaller varieties. I think that they were called butterfly gladioli. I thought would look good in the borders. The flowers were smaller than those grown on the plot but the stems were just as tall and really needed some support. They don’t really suit our borders so it looks like they will be travelling to the allotment next year!
In the green house
The strawberry runners taken earlier – now hopefully well rooted have been moved into the greenhouse for some protection over winter.
Moving in with them were the new rhubarb plants bought this year. Varieties are Fulton’s Surprise and Giant Grooveless Crimson. We already have some rhubarb growing on the plot but wanted to try some different varieties. A couple of plants stubbornly continue to grow in our paths in spite of us continually trying to dig them out. There always seems to be a piece that survives! Some people complain that rhubarb is a difficult plant to get established! We do live in the rhubarb triangle so maybe there are some magical powers at work.
Out and About
The trees along the motorway and in the gardens at work are starting to look really spectacular in their autumn livery. The horse chestnuts are shedding lots on shiny conkers. Didn’t I read somewhere that playing conkers was considered too dangerous for children nowadays?
Weekend 14 October
On the plot,
- Lots of tidying, digging and still cropping lots of fresh berries and vegetables.
- This week we pickled some of our white beetroots so it will be interesting to find out what it tastes like – it definitely looks ‘different’!
- The yellow carrots have been a great success and apparently have a higher concentration of beta carotene than the more familiar orange varieties.
- I am still managing to pick dahlias for the house but no doubt shortly a frost will put paid to that and also end our alpine strawberry harvest – last year we managed to keep picking up until bonfire night!
- The sunflower seed heads are now enormous and the seeds have ripened. No doubt it won’t take long for the birds and wood mice to track them down and start feasting. This year I will leave them in situ for as long as is possible.
The blueberry bushes have turned a really gorgeous red. Once the bushes grow bigger they will look spectacular.
In the garden
We picked more pears and some went in to a blackberry and pear crumble.
In the greenhouse
We pricked out some perpetual spinach and salad leaves about a fortnight ago but they are growing much slower than they would if it was the middle of summer. No doubt the cooler night temperatures and less hours of daylight have an effect.
Out and About
Well the rain did come this week. Around work the roads were back to a flooded state. It seems that we either have really dry weather of the heavens open. The trees are continuing to look colourful and pathways are now carpeted with fallen leaves. Some trees in the grounds at work are loaded with white berries which from a distance look like blossom. I think one is a rowan tree.
Weekend 21 October
On the plot,
This week a skip arrived on site so we have been busy clearly the communal plot so that it can be developed into a useful resource.
In the garden
The squirrel or squirrels is/are really busy burying peanuts from our bird table. I know some people just think of them as pests and that they shouldn’t really be in this country but if you considering each of our ‘native’ wildlife or plants in turn you will find that a large proportion of them are not actually natives at all but have come to the country from other areas. Most of our population of people isn’t truly indigenous Anglo Saxons. If you look up your surname many names originate from other parts of the world.
In the greenhouse
- Nothing much happening in here at the moment although the leaves are just starting to fall off the grapevine.
- The spinach and salad leaves are growing very slowly
Out and About
The sky was very broody a couple of mornings this week and it showed off the autumn colours of the trees really well. I have added a photo to the end of last week’s Bubbleshare album but it was taken by mobile phone so may not be as sharp.
Weekend 28 October
On the plot,
- We had to be on site very early on Tuesday morning to take part in the live BBC Radio Leeds breakfast show. It was dark when we arrived on site. As it got lighter it became misty and then cleared to be a lovely day. It was strange to see the site at this time of the day.
- Being on site early meant we saw lots of things that we don’t usually see. As it was quiet birds were browsing our sunflower seed heads. Strange as when I picked them and took them home last year to hang in the garden the birds didn’t seem to be interested. I’ll just leave them be this year.
- Really as far as jobs on the plot are concerned it’s just more of the same i.e. tidying up and digging.
- I think we are coming to the end of our berry cropping not many raspberries, alpine strawberries or blackberries left now.
- This year we are reducing some of our grass paths to cut down on the mowing/strimming – ironically our neighbours on the next door plot are doing just the opposite. Just goes to show that whatever you do gardeners are never satisfied.
- We bought bales of straw to cover the dahlias on the plot which have now been touched slightly by frost. It is certainly enough to stop the flowering.
In the garden,
Some of the straw will be used in the garden to lag our banana plants which are now quite large. Prior to last year they had been dug up and moved into the greenhouse for over winter but last year they survived in their straw overcoats in the garden. In fact it was so cosy that a robin nested in the straw before we managed to remove it from around the plants. Let’s hope that the bananas make it through again this year!
The squirrel is still gathering peanuts – it was the same last year. I was just amazed that we didn’t end up living on a peanut plantation.
In the greenhouse,
A bit of potting up of some houseplants that looked to have past their sell-by date – who knows a bit of fresh compost may do the trick.
Planted some garlic in pots.
Out and About,
- The sun is really low at this time of the year. Not only does it lead to problems when taking photographs but it causes real problems when driving early in the morning.
- Last night was rather windy which managed to remove many of the leaves that were hanging on to the trees.
- It also rained quite a bit last night and into this morning which was unfortunate as I had left a sweater on the path on the plot. It was rather soggy when I collected it and is now in the washing machine!
