Early autumn bits and bobs

[alan refail]

Whatever summer there was feels over now. The tourists have all gone home over the weekend. I did the first autumn sowing (salads herbs etc) last weekend and I'll be doing the second (brassicas, more salads and herbs) next weekend. Today the climbing beans come out of the tunnel, beans shelled and put in the freezer for stewing in winter. Cooked for half an hour with onion, garlic and tomatoes, they will go splendidly with a shoulder of Welsh lamb.

Oh, and it would be good if some of our once regular posters came back to liven the forum.

[Clive.]

These are starting to appear...

Clive.

[Colin Miles]

Cheer up Alan, it will soon be Christmas! My early carrots didn't last long and the rate we go through potatoes the Charlottes won't either. The runner beans are just about managing to supply the 2 of us every couple of days, but normally we have giving away lots - and they have blackfly!

Weather and growing-wise it would seem the worst year since 1912. Wonder what 1913 was like?

[alan refail]

Hi Colin

I am cheerful (for a change). Looking forward to winter cropping in the polytunnel. Shelled and froze a lot more beans today and planted some late dwarf French for autumn.

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Alan, i'm always here to liven things up a little.

But i know what you mean....

[donedigging]

Great weekend here,
Cleared the last of the potatoes, very disappointing , not many at all.
Runner beans have finished and peas, will clear them tomorrow.
Planted over wintering cauliflowers, 30 ops ( but should last till march!)

and 10 winter cabbages, another 15 to be planted later this month.
Two trips to the tip with weeds.
Coffee and hot chocolate with youngest daughter in the shed with chocolate biscuits ,
Great weekend

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Donedigging, i could have done with your help this weekend, as i picked just under 50lbs of runner beans this weekend off 2 double 20 foot rows.

After the slowest of starts, they have now gone completely mad.

[donedigging]

Dear OH, you should of sent me a nudge

Looking around the allotment, everyone else still has red flowers and loads of beans, what variety are you growing...obviously I choose the wrong one this year

[Monika]

Glorious day here today after early morning drizzle and tonight the (almost) full moon rose as a huge orange globe above the moors - beautiful.

Been exceedingly busy with our village show the last three days. Contrary to all expectations, the entries were up on last year, including in the vegetable and flower classes. so a good time was had by all with lots of visitors through the door as well. I was lucky to win two cups, a medal and small cash prize, but my greatest triumph was beating a champion vegetable grower (and vegetable judge in other shows) into third place with my two leeks (Musselburgh) which won second prize. I was really chuffed with that!

[Monika]

Forgot to mention that on Friday 31 August we woke up to sharp frost with cars, flat roofs and the greenhouse roof covered in thick frost . On the allotment, the marrow and courgette plants lost some leaves, the French bean leaves were slightly touched but, luckily, the vegetables themselves escaped unscathed.

It's the first time for many years that we had an August frost. The last time I remember was in the early 1970s when July was the only month of the year without frost in this area!

[Cider Boys]

This was the worst summer, weather wise, that I can remember. Last Thursday I lifted my onions and it all seemed wonderful with the sun shining so I sowed some rows of Early Nante carrots where the onions had grown hoping for a November crop. My son mowed two fields on Friday and I tedded the fields on Saturday, it was perfect the sun was shining and a strong breeze was blowing across the meadows, perhaps at last we could bale some decent hay. Wrong again, it has rained and drizzled all day to-day it makes me think what's the point. I have not been able to get on with much gardening at all this summer and I certainly miss it. Let's all hope for an Indian Summer this autumn to help cheer up all sons and daughters of the soil.

We did get about a fortnight of settled weather in July and we made hay from early morning until midnight each day so there was no time for the garden, followed by the problem that I became so worn out that I spent the week after unable to get out of my chair.

Nice pictures of the Cyclamen ( at least I think that is what they are).

Hay Making in the Sun

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[vegpatchmum]

Cleared the peas at school this morning but have managed to keep back 2 dozen pods from the Purple Podded peas which had nicely dried on the plants and these will be used, I hope, for next years planting .

Schools Runners have just about finished but the runners at home are still producing a huge amount of beans which are finally a respectable length .

However, my french beans have finished in the raised beds but those along the fence are only just really starting and hopefully we'll have some to freeze, although I've not had much luck with longevity when it comes to freezing French beans.

The courgettes both at home and school seem to have developed a second wind and we have a load more growing and, at home, my little yellow 'little pumpkin' type courgettes (sorry forget the name off hand) are just starting to flower.

All the swetcorns have ears forming but in all cases I am taking these as mini cobs as I don't believe they will fully ripen now.

We have 1 successful pumpkin at home across 6 plants and 5 at school across 14 plants, so not a good year but at least we'll have something to show for our efforts Mind you there are female flowers almost ready to open on ALL the squash and pumpkin plants - maybe they know something we don't

VPM
x

P.S. Spent a good half hour planting up the strawberry runners donated to the school garden by one of the villagers. Was stunned and delighted to discover over 80 little runners in the bag left at my front door. I was able to plant 71 of them into various tubs, pots and containers. I'm stoked as strawberries were one of the things I'd appealed for in the village magazine, thinking we may get a dozen or so with which to start a strawberry bed and, together with 8 already donated, we now have a chance of a decent crop if most of them take

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Donedigging, the varieties are, Moonlight and Enorma.

It was meant to read 30 foot rows and not 20 foot rows, as i put in my last post.
But i was still very pleased.

[alan refail]

Now we've started talking autumn and the schools are going back it looks set fair for a while now

I might even get some grass cut and finish my hedges this week,

[alan refail]

I was lucky to win two cups, a medal and small cash prize, but my greatest triumph was beating a champion vegetable grower (and vegetable judge in other shows) into third place with my two leeks (Musselburgh) which won second prize. I was really chuffed with that!

Congratulations on your successes Monika. It can't have such a bad year Skipton way after all! I take it that the man you beat was Mr Raw. Is he still getting firsts for his onions?