14th - 25th September

14^th September

A wonderfully varied harvest from the allotment brought in 7 courgettes, 5 sweet corns, 4 pumpkins and 1 cauliflower – I stumbled on that by accident as it was well hidden (well, the curd was beneath the foliage!).

I guess since the last leeks went in and the sprouts were planted, the rest of summer and early autumn are the good times on the allotment. Whilst winter maturing vegetables become established and grow, you gradually harvest the others, either the cut and come again ones like courgettes or the one time a season ones such as the sweet corn and pumpkins. The sprouts are now well established and putting on a growth spurt and the leeks are as good as anybody’s and that encourages me. The best thing is that now is not the time for weeding. I have membrane down so no weeding is necessary on the beds, and the long grass around the edges is not troubling anyone so it can wait until tidy up time a little later. Good times indeed. The wet summer also meant that watering was not a chore. That being said I did partake in some watering today for the squashes and courgettes as we have had some great late summer sunshine and a good dry spell for a while now.

Back home my garden tidy up continued with me scrubbing the paddling pool clean as well as the tarpaulin that it was sat on. These were put out way back in late spring, used on one day, and have just sat around getting dirty ever since. It wasn’t even me who got them out – or used them!

15^th September

In gardening, like comedy, timing is very important and mine was displayed yesterday in watering some of the allotment exactly 24 hours before the rain came followed by a deluge which went on for some hours. Ah well.

 17^th September

I was just taking a sheet of cardboard to the allotment and simply dropping it off when I spotted some calabrese re-sprouting as side branches from the main stalks. I collected the equivalent of a large head and we had them for dinner – nice! I also picked the last pumpkin and a small posy of sweet peas.

Later on at home I was to be found on my hands and knees by the strawberry bed clearing away straw and dead leaves and stems and some runners, then uprooting some weeds in front of the privet hedge. I had cleared away the sweet pea canes yesterday as well as those from all along the fence panels. The compost bin is beginning to receive its autumn glut of spent plants.

20^th September

The day of the allotment show and competition. Alas, I forgot all about it until it was too late. I had 2 lots of 3 onions to show plus I could have dug up some leeks and maybe shown some sweet peas. Great!

24^th September

The Indian summer continues with warm dry days that I would have wished were the make up of our summer holidays. There is a chill in the mornings with some condensation on the cars and heavy dew on the grass but otherwise summery. Today was the day I could finally mow the lawn again. Our new mower is here and I set to work getting the grass cut and the compost bin almost filled up. Mind you, that will soon rot down.

25^th September

I finished pruning the strawberry plants of dying leaves and runners and found 28 new plants that I have transplanted to a nursery area at the other end of the border. I have cleared away the straw and the place looks really tidy. I also gave the lavender plants a trim as they have finished flowering.

I was able to collect a decent posy of sweet peas from the allotment. I have been told by one of the allotment committee that I would have won a prize for my onions had I entered!

Next post: 1st Oct

4th - 9th September

4^th September

Eight more courgettes from the allotment and today I also picked 2 cobs of sweetcorn which I blanched and froze.

5^th September

After the family inspected the allotment plot we went over to my parents where Dad has allowed me to dry off my onions in his greenhouse. I peeled off the outer, flaking and dirty skins and filled a bag of these for my compost bin but 3 bags full of onions, and I also have a load back home as well making a total of 151. Great!

7^th September

Only 2 courgettes today but another 2 sweetcorn cobs. This time, we had them for dinner. My wife has never had them this fresh before and she was amazed at how different they taste. A satisfied customer!

9^th September

Yesterday the weather suddenly picked up and felt like summer – that’s at least the second time this year! There has been talk of an Indian summer – there always is when we’ve had a poor one, I think it is people’s wishful thinking for some compensation before winter - well, we had an afternoon of it anyway, and today was quite warm and sunny too so maybe autumn has been postponed although leaves are changing colour.

This afternoon I finally started to wash the flower pots and trays. I took an old bowl of soapy water and one of clean water out to the garden and set about the task. I got quite a few cleaned up as well as sorting out what plastic items have to go in the bin and which ones I can recycle – they needed cleaning as well. So there were many yoghurt pots and plastic cups to wash as I can take them to a local plastics recycling plant (our council doesn’t take all types of plastic). I even washed out the compost bags as they can be recycled too. Basically this place I’ve found will take any plastic as long as you can positively identify what type of plastic it is. They all have a number 1-6 (7 can’t be recycled) according to the specific type. A lot of plastic these days has a triangular recycle symbol on it with either the number in question of the initials of the type so that you can identify it. We keep a large black bin bag in the conservatory and put all our plastics in there that we can identify and when I’ve got too many of these bags knocking about in the shed I get out 6 boxes, label them for my 5 year old and I pull out the items from the bin bags and read the number, give it to him and he runs off and puts it in the box. He loves it. Then I bag up, label and take them to the plant. A good thing is that I can take supermarket carrier bags there so although we now have these bags for life, I don’t have any guilt if I ever go shopping without one as I can take a normal carrier bag and know I will be recycling it when it is not needed anymore.

Back to the garden. I really want to get it tidied before winter this year including all pots and baskets and trays cleaned, sorted and stored where they will not be in my way. I need to tidy the shed again and burn off some of the wood I have stored as I keep collecting but still don’t have a wood burning stove – alas! I want to whitewash the front wall to the left of the front garden and make a small raised bed in front of it to grow poppies and/or cornflowers next year which will be set off well against the wall. It was white once but needs re-doing. I also want to implement the idea I had last year of planting 3 silver birch trees where the lilac stands now. I had the plan just too late last year to have the time to clear the old tree and prepare the ground but made a mental note that this September I would do that, so I have to cut down and grub up the tree, and its roots, and prepare 3 holes for delivery in October. In planting bulbs for the spring I will transfer bluebell bulbs to around the birch trees as they will be better there I think. I already have quite a few bluebells on that left side but I could really make a good show of it if I concentrated them there.

Next post: 14th Sept