End of September on the Plot

Only a short visit to the plot today, but plenty to harvest still. 

Dug up more Parsnips for Sunday dinner. But still plenty left in the ground, what we need is a good hard frost to sweeten them up, but weather reports for our area say we might experience mild conditions for a few more weeks, even into November!

Its been a good year for fruit, as you can see here lots of Raspberries, we were told to pick from a neighbours plot too as they were away on holiday, they also grow Golden Raspberries odd to look as but lovely taste. There is 4lb here, 3lb already made into Jam, the rest added to Rhubarb for a batch of wine. 

Chicken News: 
Looks like the Light Sussex have started laying, we have had 2 eggs this week, not sure if from the same hen, but will monitor this to see.

As I mentioned the weather has been warmer than we are used to, everything is still growing, weeds too! 
So still clearing away weeds as fast as I can and drying so can burn on the bonfire.  


Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

Super, sunny Sunday

My new toy 'The Allotment Truck' a bargain from Aldi. It will be very useful, first load, a bag of compost (for potting up Strawberry runners). 
But will be good for transporting home the Potato harvest instead of taking the car. 

Anyway back to today, in the patch where I dug up the 'Sante' Potatoes, I have planted 'Musselborough' Leeks, started off in a seed tray. 
Also Spinach seed sown 'Giant Winter' and 'Emilia F1' both good for late sowing for an early spring harvest. 

The Sweetpeas still giving a good handful of blooms and no sign of them stopping yet. 

Also as the Lavender has finished flowering we cut it back saving the dry heads for fragrant bath salts & lavender pillows.

Another job I have put off until now is this corner, where the Apple Trees are, as their roots spread about 6ft (1.8mtrs) we cant disturb the area around them too much, so I plan to change the route of our path through here. 

A work in progress, so keep watching.

So as I said super, sunny Sunday and it certainly was, I heard that this fine weather might last until mid October, lets hope so, as crops have been so good this year & I still have 4 rows of Cara Potatoes to dig up, our winter store! 

Already got our Onions 'Senshyu' & 'Red Winter' and Garlic 'Solent Wight' to get started.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian.

September on the plot

Finally got to harvest the Sweetcorn, sadly some had been eaten by the wildlife, not sure what, a Hare has been spotted on our site! So maybe its the culprit ?

The Runner Bean frame is still producing well, it includes Sweet Peas & Honeysuckle which are lovely, the Echinops on the other side are almost finished but dried they are still very attractive, they attracted lots of Bees too. 

Dug up the last of the early 'Winston' some 2nd Early 'Charlotte' Potatoes, also the last of the Sante mains, they weren't as good as past years and oddly some red skinned spuds came up too, odd as I haven't grown red's for at least 2 yrs! 

Today's Harvest:
Runner & Green Beans
Courgette (round)
Tomatoes
Raspberries
Cox's Orange Pippin Apples
& (the 2 large ones) Woodbrook Pippin Apples.

The weather is still warm & dry, good excuse for a bonfire as the weeds I pulled up over the week are nicely dry, we cleared a few areas today, so the freshly pulled weeds went on the bonfire too! 

I have done a video of our new Chickens, now that we have have had them for 3 weeks, sadly one of them (we think she was at least 4yrs old) passed away. Considering battery hens are culled at around 18 months, she has done well. 
So you will see 9 hens at the start, but only 8 at the end. 

Thanks again for reading/watching. Ian

Busy week pulling weeds & burning them! Plus a harvest or two.

Busy time, pulling weeds, it's surprising how quick they take over, especially as the weather has been summer like this week. 

First I cleared the Potato patches ready for digging them up for storing. 

And where do all those weeds go? 
On the bonfire! I had some that were drying from a week ago, to start the bonfire with, then I could add the fresh 'green' weeds pulled up today & yesterday.

So pleased with our Autumn Raspberries, these are 'Joan J' variety and as you can see they are huge fruits, bigger than my thumb! 

Lovely Sunflower, enough said.

Harvests over the last week:
 In the Trug (far left) we entered this mix of veg in a local 'show your own' show and we came 3rd. 

I dug up some 'Sante' potatoes also Parsnips, Beans, Kale, Courgette, Tomatoes, Raspberries & Sweet Peas.

So as I said a busy week pulling up weeds, the plots looking neater, but there is still lots to do, but the weather forecast is good for the next few days, so another bonfire is likely.



Thanks for reading/returning. Ian.