Very early Winter Bits and Bobs.2016

[oldherbaceous]

Well here it is, let's just hope it's not too bad a one!

I did notice the catkins are starting to swell, so Spring will soon be with us...

[PLUMPUDDING]

Ever the optimist OH. We've had our first covering of snow this morning, but most of it has gone now.

I'm glad I picked most of the Newton Wonder apples yesterday. I also brought all the beans in for drying and for saved seed for next year, picked 11 mini kiwi fruits, two strawberries and a handful of Cape gooseberries, and remembered I'd grown some quinoa and got the seed heads off that. I don't think I'll get much from the quinoa as I'd left it too long. There is some seed still there though so I'll have a go at cleaning it. Must take more care of it next year.

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Plumpudding, are your Newton Wonders a wonderful red colour this year? i have two youngish trees and the apples on them are the most colourful i have seen.

[robo]

I set my womery up today ,I decided to put it in the pollytunnel in till spring, the last three nights have been well below freezing all the outside lettuce ,French beans,Pease, and other bits and bobs have suffered

[Westi]

Yeah OH!

Early Winter Bits & Bobs overdue, especially as you've had snow! The continuous frosts have meant some of the surviving plants in the back garden have finally succumbed so I can plant the tulip bulbs finally. (Didn't have the heart to chop them when still flowering). I know, don't nag anyone, but it was uplifting to look out the kitchen window and see the roses blooming still.

Westi

[Monika]

Snow still lying here though much reduced - more to come tonight, they say. Quite a few shrubs suffered from being squashed by the wet and heavy white stuff, especially those which are still carrying leaves.

[Primrose]

Two nights of frost plus heavy rain have sadly finished off my fuschia and dahlia blooms but fingers crossed, the whitefly on my kale plants finally seem to have disappeared.
Did however manage to get the lawns cut yesterday. It's difficult at this time of year with heavy dew to find a time when the grass is dry enough but hopefully it will be the last cut of the season. I can remember one mild winter when we actually had to cut the grass on a dry New Year's Day because it had got so long.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Yes OH the Newton Wonder on the sunny side of the tree are very red this year they are quite sweet too.

[Primrose]

That's interesting. I'd never really thought about how fruits like apples and pears ripen but I suppose it stands to reason that those receiving the most sunshine are probably the sweetest. I wonder if people who planted orchards thought about this and aligned them up to catch the sun, ie East to West rather than North to South.

[Shallot Man]

Primrose. Watch a nature program on the BBC some time ago in Japan. Noticed that a farmer was removing apple fruit leaves by hand any leaf that was shielding the apple from the sun. Tried it this year on my dwarf coxes. Fruit so red I doubted if it was a cox.

[Diane]

We removed the leaves from our grapevine this year, just when they were ripening well , after seeing Monty advise it. Really did make a difference to the sweetness.

[snooky]

A strange sight yesterday,a column of what I assume were midges rose from the laurel bush to a height of about 10ft.The local bird population had a field day flying through the column picking off the insects.Lasted for an hour or so then the insects just disappeared.

[Pawty]

Hi,

This time of year is the most difficult for me to get to the lotty as its dark when I finish work. But I was out in Winchester yesterday and thought these leaves were lovely so thought I'd share.

Pawty

[oldherbaceous]

Nature is always turning up amazing sites, Snooky and that certainly sounds one of them....

Doesn't that picture just sum up late Autumn, Pawty.

[Primrose]

Alas far too speedy a process for a photo but this morning I was throwing out some butchers scraps i to the lawn when a huge kite whooshed down and virtually snatched snatched one of the pieces out of my hand. I never heard or saw it coming it was so silent and so swift. It rare to be able to get this close to o e of these birds so it was a real treat.

Of course the sight of a kite swooping down suddenly seems to bring a hoard of seagulls flocking nowhere so I had to wait until they'd all got bored and cleared off before I could continue with my kite feeding.

And a lovely sunny morning for our imminent wreath laying and remembrance ceremony on our village green.