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• Gladioli and dahlias are also continuing to provide flowers for the house but the sweet peas are a bit sorry now. We have a clump of cannas that were just popped in out of the way a few years ago. They are a sort of wild variety – the flowers not being particularly special. Several years ago we gathered some seed from a plant growing on an embankment in France. When we arrived home we planted then in the greenhouse and all of the seeds grew but the flowers were disappointing so were relegated to the allotment. Each year we cover them in straw and up they come the next year. We also have a hibiscus plant that never managed to flower in the garden that was also relegated to the plot. At first it did absolutely nothing but after it was threatened with the compost heap it it made an effort and now flowers each year. It doesn’t seem to grow much bigger though.
• We have planted some more salad leaves and some pak choi  in spaces left once the potatoes had been lifted.
• All the onions, shallots and garlic have been lifted and stored.
• The sweet corn isn’t quite ready – that’s late too! I hope nothing spoils it before we can manage to harvest it.
• We finally removed the net from the red currants so the blackbirds are now welcome to help themselves.
• Continued to pick big juicy blackberries. I pruned back the loganberry or tayberry (don’t really care which it is as it tastes good), I pruned out all of the canes that produced fruit this year and quite a few new canes too to leave about three canes from each root. It’s just the same way as I prune the blackberry and is an equally prickly job. You definitely need to be wearing longs sleeves when doing this to avoid lacerated arms. It is worth it though. We inherited the plants when we took over the plot. The previous tenant left to its own devices and it never produced any fruit but now we have a bounty each year.
• Still gathering and often giving away runner beans.  They cost a small fortune in the supermarket. Maybe next year we should have a runner beans stall to aid our fund raising efforts.

In the garden

Lots and lots of crab apples have fallen from the crab apple tree.  Just after I had cleared them all away the winds came and we are back to square one! The tree has only really fruited well  for the last two years in spite of being many years old. We cut back a huge berberis which grew alongside it and this seems to have given the tree a new lease of life. I think the berberis was preventing the tree from getting adequate moisture. We have picked some to make crab apple jelly but many are just too high up the tree or in impossible positions. Why do the ones that you can’t reach always seem to be the ones that look the best? No doubt the birds or wasps will get to them unless of course they are too sour for them.

The fig has a few green figs but the leaves are starting to look sad. Just hope that the figs stay on until they are ripe.

Huge flocks of sparrows are visiting our seed feeders. They queue up on the fence waiting their turn.

In the greenhouse

We continued to harvest the grapes which are small, seedless, sweet and green. Can’t remember the variety as it has been planted for quite few years. The grapes would be larger if I thinned them out.  I used to do this with the long bladed scissors but ended up with neck ache and grapes in places where grapes shouldn’t be so now we content ourselves with small grapes that probably wouldn’t pass any European standards but taste really good. The blackbirds like them. We have to net the greenhouse door as if they can the blackbirds fly in, grab a grape and fly back out.

Out and about

Trees are starting to look a bit tired and some leaves are even turning slightly brown.

When travelling along the motorway I always seem to come across a hay wagon. The wind has meant that I have ended up driving through a shower of hay-rain!

Weekend 9 September
On the plot

• This week has really been devoted to harvesting, weeding and watering with a bit of dead heading thrown in for good measure.
• We have continued our berry harvest. The red and yellow raspberries are still providing us with fruit, as are the alpine strawberries. Last year we picked our last strawberries around Bonfire Night, I wonder if they will be providing fruit for a long this year. The strawberries seem to grow a little larger as the season progresses. The blackberry also continues to provide fruit. Soon it will be time to prune back the canes. Each year I think maybe I have been too drastic with the pruning but then at this time when we are picking huge shiny berries I know that it was worth the effort.
• The plums were so good that we decided to make every effort to harvest the ones out of reach (even with a ladder) at the very top of the tree.  Armed with fishing net and long-handled loppers the final plums were captured.
• Also harvested were the apples. They were quite small (certainly wouldn’t pass European standards) so maybe next year I should have a go at thinning them out.
• Vegetables for the dinner table continue to be picked or dug up. You just cannot buy carrots that taste as good as those grown yourself!
• We are still digging up potatoes but this week’s diggings  seem to have been attacked by wireworm or small slugs.
• The dahlias are continuing to flower well. I dead headed them to ensure a supply of new flowers until the first frosts put paid to any more.
• The brassicas that were attacked by caterpillars seem to have recovered and now are growing on. Cabbage whites are supposed to lay their eggs on brassicas and nasturtiums so why do they ignore the nasturtiums growing all over out compost heap?
• The starlings are congregating on the telegraph wires and from the evidence beneath on the ground must enjoy eating blackberries. Must remember not to linger under the wires for too long!!

In the garden

• Mainly a clean out of the pond disturbing resident frogs, cutting the grass and a bit of watering.
• Sparrows are flocking to our seed feeders and other birds are now making regular sorties onto the bird table.
• We also seem to have had a flock of goldfinches twittering in our crab apple tree throughout the weekend.

In the greenhouse

Not much to do here at the moment although we are still picking grapes.

Out and about

A full week back at work means that all our allotmenting is confined to the weekend once more. It’s really frustrating when during the week the weather is sunny and warm and during the weekend it is at best changeable. Saturday started off with little promise but warmed up during the afternoon, whereas Sunday started with promise but by the time we left the site on Sunday during  late afternoon it was bitterly cold.

The grass is looking rather tired along the roadside verges and is yellowing. Lots of the wild flowers (weeds to some people) are now setting seed.

Conkers seem to be developing well on the horse chestnuts.

The days are really shortening now. We have some table lamps on timers and we seem to be continually changing the clocks. It will soon end up that it is dark when we set off for work and dark when we come home. Just wish that we could have it light ‘til ten o’clock at night throughout the year but to achieve that we would have to move planets. Not an option at the moment!  

Weekend 16 September
On the plot

• Still lots of weeding but when isn’t there? Actually I quite like weeding – I find it therapeutic.
• We have at last picked our very first ripe sweetcorn of the season and it was DELICIOUS. Let’s hope that the rest holds on for us. I heard the dreaded words ground frost on the news - just hope that it doesn't mean around us!
• Still picking berries, red raspberries, yellow raspberries, alpine strawberries and blackberries. The blackberries were huge.

• The sunflowers are setting seed and have the most huge centres now – the bees are still browsing the centres though.
• The starlings are still congregating on the telegraph wires. We spotted a song thrush in one of our plum trees. They are always a very welcome sight as they are on the RSPB’s red list of endangered birds. Just hope that they are making a come-back.
• Joe gave us some goji berry plants – he has grown them from some berries that he bought – I hope that they really ARE goji berries and not pussy willow – actually they look a bit like rosebay willow herb! Wonder how long it will take to get some berries?

In the garden

• Our new perennials needed a bit of watering. It was supposed to rain this weekend wasn't it?
• The John Downie crab apple has some really lovely crab apples. They are the ones that we couldn’t reach to harvest. They are showing off from the top branches of the tree as if to say – “You can’t get us!” The ones that fell off probably thought that too.
• The miniature cyclamen are flowering well. We raised about half a dozen plants from seed quite a few years ago and now we have them popping up all over the garden. I suppose they are now classed as volunteer weeds but we are not complaining. We have also given plenty away and one or two have even made it to the plot. The tuber of one was as large as a dinner plate!

In the greenhouse

• The strawberry runners are still growing away.
• The onions are drying off.
• Still plenty of grapes too

Out and about

The grass verges are really brown and arid looking. They seem to have been cut within about a millimetre of the ground and in this weather just can’t stand this type of treatment and it shows.

The wild flowers such as rosebay  willow herb and thistles are in seed now. Plenty of seed is blowing around so that we have an ample supply of weeds for next year.

The starlings and swallows are taking turns at congregating on the wires outside our house. The swallows will soon set off on their long migration to South Africa. Starlings are partial migrants – some go and some stay all year round. Others migrate from eastern Europe to spend the winter with us.

Weekend 23 September
On the plot

• Harvested our beetroot crop, just for fun we not only grew red varieties this year but also yellow/orange and white. Haven’t tasted the coloured variety yet so can’t comment on the taste. No doubt you can eat as many of the yellow or white ones as you wanted without the embarrassing side effects. I don’t intend to try it though!
• Continued to harvest the berries - raspberries, alpine strawberries and blackberries. I am sure the blackberries are getting bigger although picking them can be a bit of a battle. I wouldn’t recommend picking blackberries on your own as you may need someone to untangle you!

We have two hazel bushes on the plot. They originally were suckers from under the corkscrew hazel that we once grew in the garden. They have been growing for years now and provide great cover for the car on those hot sunny days of summer (remember those?). This year they seem to have decided to produce nuts. One tree in particular has a carpet of broken nut shells under its branches so something has been helping itself. Is it a bird, is it a mouse or is it a squirrel?  At least some have been nibbled by mice as they have holes in rather, the other shells are completely broken into pieces. My money would be on a squirrel for the rest but must admit I haven’t noticed squirrels on the plot. I tried eating one of the nuts and to be quite honest the squirrel or whoever is welcome to them.

The sunflowers have developed huge seed heads – it’s going to be a bumper harvest for the birds.

Joe on the next plot to us has harvested his one and only peach – grown outside in Yorkshire!! Six of us had a slice and it tasted really good – in fact just like a peach!

I think if it had been my peach I would have sneaked it home and kept it all to myself – maybe Joe wishes that he had done the same.

We harvested all our sweetcorn cobs just in case we have a frost in the week. We prepared about 25 pounds weight for the freezer so have a plentiful supply even though we thought at one point that they were never going to ripen. We were more cautious than some others on site and weren’t tempted to plant early. As we didn’t get any real frosts the ones who threw caution to the wind came off best and have harvested crops much earlier than us. Their crops were off to a good start before the poor summer weather kicked in! Still it could have turned out differently! For some reason this year the cobs from one sweetcorn bed were covered in blackfly. We have never had this problem before, fortunately the blackfly hadn’t managed to get to the kernels but it wasn’t very pleasant stripping the ‘leaves’ off.

In the garden

• If a squirrel hasn’t been helping itself to nuts on the plot then one certainly has in our garden. One – could even be two, (we do have two different squirrels that visit us), have been stealing peanuts from the bird table a burying then around the garden and neighbouring gardens too. It is amazing that we haven’t a peanut plantation as they did just the same thing last year. When they want a break from their work they head for the sunflower seeds that have dropped from the bird feeders – although they are not shy at actually helping themselves directly from the feeders too.
• Our first acidenthra bulb has flowered – I was being to think that they were going to disappoint us.
• The gunnera is showing signs of autumn as are many of the shrubs and perennials.
• In the greenhouse
• The grapevine continues its triffid like growth – we are still picking grapes too. One part of the vine has headed out of the greenhouse window and in trailing down the roof outside.
• Pricked out salad leaves and some perpetual spinach. We have never tried to grow spinach before but had some free seeds on one of our gardening magazines.

Out and About

We actually had some rain this week but not as much as other parts of the country maybe this will make the grass greener again.

Many trees now are starting to show signs of autumn with some leaves turning yellow or brown. There is definitely a nip in the air on a morning and the nights do seem to be drawing in.

Weekend 30 September
On the plot

• Sunday was a lovely day really but it really round to the clearing the plot for next season now. It’s the time when your mind drifts to the changes that you are going to make next season. What you will do quite differently and what you must do again. I’d advise not basing too much on this season though as it has been extraordinary.
• Still lots of weeding to do but at least the weed growth has slowed down with the drop in temperature.
• Still picking our berry fruits – we had alpine strawberries up until bonfire night last year so I wonder if we will achieve this again.
• Dug up a couple of parsnips although we do prefer to wait for a frost before using too many as it sweetens the roots. They are definitely an improvement on last year’s crop when the tops looked full of promise and the roots were disappointing.
• Also dug the last of our potatoes – Nicola – we didn’t expect much from them really which is why we haven’t bothered to dig them up until now but surprising we had a decent crop.
• Also harvested at red, a green and a Chinese cabbage so this week we are going to become the cabbage patch kids. (Remember those do you?).  A few more tomatoes had ripened although we still have lots of green ones on our smaller than usual plants.
• The dahlias are starting to look a little tired but still managing to provide us with enough for a vase.
• In the week Joe cleared the long grass from plot 46 as we are planning to set this up as a communal utility space. I had a go at raising the skirt (hope it didn’t mind) of the pussy willow tree to gain some of the space underneath. It’s going to be quite a task getting it sorted out but with willing helpers – we will get there.
• We managed to find a yellow courgette so that we can make some more of Pat’s piccalilli. (see the Eat It section). After the house had been filled with vinegar fumes last session we weren’t too keen to have another go. Then we had a taste (even though you should store it for three months before eating), it is delicious, so we are just going to have to wear breathing apparatus for the next batch.
• By the way we saw the song thrush again.

In the garden

• The squirrel is still busy pilfering peanut and hiding them, here, there and everywhere. Maybe we should discourage it but it provides hours of entertainment so deserves a bit of slack.
• The Michaelmas daisies are flowering well but some plants such as the hostas are definitely showing signs that the season is ending.
• Gathered as many pears as we could reach from our Conference tree. It started life as a cordon growing along a fence but that was years ago and it now has reached tree proportions. It has a habit of dropping fruit onto the greenhouse and breaking the glass panes.

In the greenhouse

Perpetual spinach and salad leaves are now shooting and growing well.

Out and About

It’s very autumnal now,. On a morning there is a bit of a nip in the air. The leaves are also starting to turn colour. One or two large trees at work are in show off mode and beginning to look spectacular.

The nights are continuing to draw in too.

Weekend 2 September
On the plot

• Much of the ground is really dry now – it's from one extreme to the other. Being clay soil it means in places it is rock hard and impossible to weed unless it is first given a good watering.
• Continued to dig up potatoes – different varieties have fared in very different ways. Some have failed completely. Others have provided few potatoes, others very small potatoes and fortunately some have done really well. Juliette seems to have performed best in this year’s  conditions  but maybe next year’s conditions will favour a different variety. It's a case of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
• We grow our tomatoes outdoors and have so far only managed a few ripe tomatoes – we had a glut last year. The plants haven’t really made the sort of growth that would be expected. Some of the plants are also showing the first signs of blight so maybe we have had it with tomatoes this season.
• The sunflowers are now flowering well if again a bit late but better late than never and they do look good. The bees love them too and after this summer they deserve a treat.