halloween pumpkins

two of this year's pumpkins carved for Halloween


Have weighed the two remaining pumpkins; the one seen here is 9lb 12oz, the other is smaller at 6lb 13oz.

blueberries

not intended as an ornamental shrub but looking like one

picked this week

getting less from the garden now. still some runner beans- maybe 2 dinners worth, the last cucumbers,5 extremely small potatoes, one radish - unfortunately half-eaten by slugs, still some rocket growing.

potatoes

set some small sprouting pieces of potatoes in the open garden a month or so ago and, as the nights have grown colder, covered the area with a cloche. these are still growing well but will have to wait and see if there are actually any potatoes growing under there.

peas and other things

the peas we've set to over-winter are now coming through - not very big yet but growing. next to them on the shelf are the pots of broad beans - the sprigs of holly are supposed to deter mice from digging them up.

have cleared the cold frame of courgette plants today - no fruit at all to be taken off.

cucumbers

taken cucumber plants out of the greenhouse today. not had any real frost but these have stopped growing and fruiting, and are turning very mildewy. took some very small cucumbers off - gherkin sized mainly

frustrated

a lovely sunny autumn afternoon spoiled by the trees outside the garden. if they weren't there we would have a lot more light, sunshine and heat not only in the garden but also in the house. we contacted the council about the possibility of them being cut down, even if only by a small amount, but although on open shared land they are apparently owned by the developers who built the properties so the council cannot help. fortunately, they will soon lose their leaves and then we will have some sunshine again.

nasturtiums

the nasturtiums are still flowering well even though the winter jasmine is now out alongside it. they've grown madly this year with one trailing 8/9 feet under the patio doors.

picked this week

runner beans, cucumber, courgettes (the last of them), super-radish, some rocket leaves, the last of the baby corn

wet

a totally wet day today - the first for quite some time. Set All Year Round cauliflowers and re-set the Broad Beans yesterday. No gardening today, staying dry inside.

super-radish

started to clear out a patch of lanky running-to-seed radishes and found one at least that was still growing. Super-radish! heart-shaped too.
later sowing, from September, is a couple of inches high with no roots really yet - hopefully sunshine and no real frost will allow them to grow.

baby corn and broad beans

pulled out all the corn stalks yesterday and was surprised at the amount of small baby corn still there unnoticed. Will use them all up in tonight's stir-fry.
the broad beans set last week aren't doing well. all the pots have little hollows where the bean has been removed, probably by a mouse. the only good thing about this is that earlier this year when we had a rat in the garden, the council rat-catcher woman said that having mice in the garden was a sign of NOT having rats.

autumn butterflies

another glorious sunny week, though cold at night, is bringing basking butterflies, mainly the larger ones - this Red Admiral and camera-shy Peacocks, to the michaelmas daisies and remaining calendulas.

picked this week

runner beans - on the increase again this week, actually frozen some. some bits of broccoli. another really small cabbage. several cucumbers though less than last week. two courgettes.

peas,beans and autumn leaves

have been tidying up the garden ready for winter and sowing Aquadulce broad beans and Feltham First peas but getting distracted by the wonderful colours of autumn leaves.

digging

got a lot of the garden dug yesterday ready for sowing peas and broad beans. spread the big bin (220 litres) of compost over it all and today the rain is helping spread it in. also picked up more horse manure last night to top up the bins.
this is the first real rain we've had in over a month. August was damp, September was very dry. the bare ground in the veg patch was starting to crack from being so dry and beetroot and radishes were running to seed. it was beginning to drop quite cold at night ( forecast of 6 degrees) - should be warmer with some rain

picked this week

MORE cucumbers - particularly the Crystal Lemon type which are fruiting better now than all summer, some runner beans - more this week than last, beetroot, rocket, rhubarb - probably the last of it, have taken the red chillies off of the plants to dry them.

cabbages

a variety of small cabbages for spring growing in the sten-house - Offenham Flower of Spring, Spring Hero and Advantage- and a row of winter cabbages that was planted close in by the felthan first pea row.

berries

pyracantha

cotoneaster

do lots of berries mean another cold winter?

flowers in October

verbena bonariensis and michaelmas daisies

kaffir lilies

love-in-a-mist

gaura lindheimerei and kaffir lilies

outdoor fuchsia

michaelmas daisies

a very late flowering oriental poppy

nasturtiums

chillies

have been picking the chillies and stringing them up to dry. the plants are back indoors now and still have some green fruits which may ripen.