Rain threatened a few times during the week but, when it did arrive, it didn’t amount to much. The trouble is that when rain is forecast and the clouds seem to agree, we tend not to plan outdoor activities too far ahead. There always seems to be the possibility that we will get caught out!
After rain, it’s amazing how quickly the parched grass recovers. It can look as though it is dead, but really it is just sleeping, waiting for the rain to awaken it. Once awake, it soon races into growth.
Friday was particularly windy, so much so that we wondered whether Nostell might be on lockdown, but fortunately the parkland remained open.
Home Garden
We are carrying out an experiment in the garden. There is a raised bed behind the greenhouse where we grow tomatoes during the summer, but for the rest of the year it remains empty.
This year, we’ve decided to try growing some brassicas there, along with some in crates, as an alternative to planting them on the allotment. Hopefully, they will have a little more protection over winter here, as conditions on the allotment can be pretty harsh during the colder months.
I have also started buying some spring bulbs to add to our newly planted garden borders. It seems strange buying bulbs for spring when we are only just entering autumn, but I suppose this is the time to be thinking ahead.
We are still putting out food for the hedgehogs that visit the garden every night. We actually think that, on one night, we were visited by two different foxes as their behaviour was markedly different. One was quite confident, while the other was really skittish.
They haven’t paid us a visit for several nights now. The food we put out is sold as hedgehog food, but the packet says that it is also suitable for foxes and badgers. What it doesn’t mention is that the neighbourhood cats seem to think it is suitable for them too!
At the Allotment
We only made one visit to the allotment last week, and that was to harvest.
I lifted the red onions and shallots, all of which were raised from seed. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the onions. Since planting, the only real moisture they received was from a watering can, and they didn’t seem to make much growth.
I was pleasantly surprised. Although the size of the bulbs was variable, many were a decent size. The shallots seemed not to mind the dry conditions at all and were about the same size as usual.
Martyn gathered together all the butternut squash, which have provided the best harvest of the three squash varieties we grew.
The carrots have also done well. Now that the ground is dampening, perhaps we need to lift them all before the slugs move in!
Something that always cheers up the allotment at this time of year is the self-sown cyclamen. As I’ve said before, we have never planted cyclamen on the plot. Some seed must have hitched a ride in used compost that had been brought from home.
Patches of flowers are now appearing throughout the fruit area, where the ground isn’t dug. Along the path between the fruit trees, the flowers form a guard of honour on both sides. They look as though they were deliberately planted.
Maybe the ants that spread the seed are keen gardeners.
Out and About
Nostell
On our visit to Nostell, Ruby obtained the first stamp in her Pooch Passport — just four more to go before she can claim her bag of treats, and nine more before she receives a badge.
The landscape at Nostell, like everywhere else, has now changed. Once again, green is the dominant colour, but the scattering of leaves is a sign that autumn is taking over.
I suppose that, now we are entering meteorological autumn, it’s only to be expected.
Website Changes
There has been a change to the diary pages of our site.
The format of the diary page was becoming a little boring. I was simply posting all the photographs I had used in blog posts as an ever-growing collage.
Martyn had begun keeping a journal, which he posted in the Sowing and Growing section of our site. In his journal, he covers our gardening week in considerably more detail than I do here, so we decided to move his journal to the diary section and use it to replace the collages.
It seems a much better use of the space and gives the diary a bit more substance than a collection of photographs. So, if you haven’t seen it yet, pop over and have a look.
Finally
The change in the grass, the first fallen leaves and the appearance of the cyclamen are all reminders that the seasons are moving on, even if the weather hasn’t quite made up its mind what season it wants to be.
The garden and allotment are gradually moving from harvesting towards preparing for autumn and winter, while we are already thinking about next spring.
There is always something happening, even when it seems that the garden is slowing down.
As always until next time stay safe and stay well
