Sunday 27 September 2015

Last weekend of September and still harvesting lots!

I dug up the rest* of just one row of Cara potatoes, there is about 16lb (7.25kg) here. 
We have another 6 rows to dig up, so the estimated yield is around 170lb (77kg), not bad from a 6kg purchase. 
(*about 2/3 of the row) 
Can't get over the Borlotto beans, they have grown so much since last week. 
I think I did right planting them later, just lucky with the weather too. 
Love the mottled colour, the beans will be swelling soon.
On Saturday I filled a punnet with autumn Raspberries. 
My wife made a Bakewell Tart with allotment raspberry jam filling and topped with some of these, lovely with a dollop of clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.
Sunday's Harvest:
More Raspberries!
Sweetcorn, 
Runner Beans, 
Green & Purple Beans, 
Tomatoes 
& a Pepper.
On Saturday I cut the grass path with my petrol strimmer, probably the last time I'll do it this year, looks a lot better for it too. 
We have been very lucky with the weather, sunny and warmer later in the day.
I do love this time of year, harvesting and clearing up ready for winter. 
There are still lots of lovely flowers and the Bees are busy collecting nectar. 

Thanks for reading/Returning. Ian  

Sunday 20 September 2015

Just a quick visit to harvest today

Purple peas are podding, just in time as weather is turning colder. 
We planted these late after the summer peas had finished.
Last week I showed you the Borlotto beans, well a week later and the pods are getting bigger and you can clearly see the mottled colour of the pods too.
The purple Kale, (Borecale) is still looking strong, we harvest a lot of this for our Chickens, they love it!
Not a bad harvest: 
Courgette, Peppers, Tomatoes, Apples, Green & Purple Beans, Sweetcorn, Raspberries & Sweet peas. Just out of shot we also dug up some Cara spuds & picked the Runner Beans. 
We will eat well tonight.
Our Chickens enjoying the Sweetcorn left overs.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian 

Sunday 13 September 2015

Sunny September day

Super day today, so I got some more planting, weeding and harvesting done, read on.
We've dug up more Charlotte spuds from this patch so in the space I planted more Kale (under netting). 
If you remember back a few months, I planted a test patch of Carrots for a university student who was doing research on using resistant crops to thwart carrot root fly, but sadly I still got quite alot of damaged carrots. So out of 4 mtrs of Danvers carrots & 4 mtrs as a border of Flyaway, this is all I got undamaged.  
Here is the Borlotto Beans wig-wam and finally we have beans forming, see below.
If you look close (click the image to enlarge) you can just see the mottled colour of the pods forming and the beans are mottled white/red too. 
Sadly as the weather has been still quite warm the Brocolli I planted under this netting tunnel has bolted and in flower, so we will have to replant this patch, only a small hic-cup.

Harvest this weekend:
Beans: Runner, Green Purple & yellow. 
Kale 
Raspberries 
Blueberries & Sweet Peas.







So as I said a sunny September day, forecast for the next few days are windy & wet, so might affect the outside Tomatoes.

We will see.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

Sunday 6 September 2015

Great day for weeding, planting & harvesting

In this patch where we still have some 1st & 2nd early Potatoes, I have planted out yet more Kale, in spaces where spuds have been dug up & under bird proof netting! I have left some Calendula flowers too for the bees.
These dark skinned Peppers are doing well in the greenhouse, the Tomatoes are still ripening & we are still harvesting both Moneymaker & Black Russian.
Can't wait to pick the Cox's Orange Pippin apples, won't be long now. 
Today's Harvest:
 Beetroot, Parsnips, Green/Yellow/Purple Beans, Runner Beans, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Raspberries, Blueberries & Flowers.
In this bag there is about 5lb of Beetroot, I plan to make wine from, I tried last year and it was a success so why not try again.
So a good day indeed for weeding, planting & harvesting. I certainly needed my truck to transport it all home.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian