Kitchen Garden Forum

Geoff & Richard

You live in amongst the most wonderful scenery - beautiful pictures!

Westi (feeling a little jealous )

First touch of ground frost this morning. I can't remember when it was last as late as this.

Westi wrote:
You live in amongst the most wonderful scenery -

Thank you but please don't be envious, most people that visit us say how lovely but they couldn't live in a place so isolated. For me it's been an ambition realised that was out of reach and just a dream. Neither I nor my partner would be able to live in a place like this without each others strengths.

You have to be able to see the beauty in a grey-austere day as well as the bright sunny days together with occasionally getting marooned during winter. The electric supply is always failing so we've had to make contingencies for keeping warm and cooking, last winter we were without power for three days on the coldest days.

Falling to sleep in the dark, in front of the stove probably sounds idyllic though it quickly gets boring.

Still a warm ten degrees down here Alan. it may have dropped to eight.

Not as remote as you Richard but I secretly love getting snowed in. Always make sure I have the larder well stocked and plenty of logs. My gran once said to me (many years ago) 'Aren't you worried when you're all alone right out there?' to which I replied 'As long as I am all alone there's nothing to worry about!' She was a farm worker's daughter but really took to town life.

MW

It's certainly chilly. Mind you I have been away for a week, working Barcelona, where it was mild enough to be in shirt sleeves all day and in the evening too. It has been quite a shock today.

Sat waiting in the car waiting for the council to collect 65 cones and 75 roadworks fences.
Once that's done another annual marker has passed, Rugby Club fireworks event.

We're fairly sure we've made a decent profit this year and perhaps the smoothest running one yet.

Morning Peter, they probably won't turn up until late this afternoon, tea breaks and all that..

Glad the display went well, though.

My over-winter garlic bulbs that were a product of last years, and my first garlic planting, have grown easily two inches of green shoot.

I still don't have much confidence in the broad beans surviving a winter and i'm amazed that I have two trays of sweet peas that have sprouted almost six inches, i'll also be amazed if they survive. The "Glitteratti" of gardening encouraged me to do an autumn sowing but I bet they all have warm greenhouses. Or at least under-cover that stays above ten degrees.

It's been down to seven degrees here in the far west of Wales whist pals around the country, and some of 'you-lot' are all reporting frost. It was two degrees warmer at the beach than here at home which is a couple of miles inland and comparatively sheltered.

I have a spare row of a foot wide by ten foot spare and can't think what to plant other than spring flowering bi-annuals.

Any ideas ?

It feels quite mild today after two nights of keen frost.

I had a stroll round the garden to see whether there was anything still to harvest in the fruit line and found a lovely ripe fig in the greenhouse, two kiwi fruits on the plant outside, two Mara des Bois strawberries and a handful of autumn raspberries. Should make a nice little fruit salad for tea.

PLUMPUDDING wrote:It feels quite mild today after two nights of keen frost.

I had a stroll round the garden to see whether there was anything still to harvest in the fruit line and found a lovely ripe fig in the greenhouse, two kiwi fruits on the plant outside, two Mara des Bois strawberries and a handful of autumn raspberries. Should make a nice little fruit salad for tea.

Making me jealous Plumpudding

The autumn before last I took some thornless blackberry cuttings and rooted them over winter. I had enough to give some plants away earlier this year and plant out three across my 24 ft wide plot. I now have a 5 ft high framework filled with this years growth right across the plot. Looking good for next summer

Well what a dark and dirty old afternoon it has turned out to be, it really does feel more like a November afternoon.

We spread our last manure yesterday (it's been 'stewing' under a plastic cover since early this year), only a bit left now to use on the marrow and courgette plants in spring. A robin accompanied all our movements because there were thousands of worms to be got!

The hanging bird feeders have been really busy today with blue, great, coal and long-tailed titis, chaffinches, goldfinches, one female brambling, a pair of nuthatches, a treecreeper (on the tree trunk rather than the feeder) and a male great spotted woodpecker! And the blackbirds came to the backdoor begging for currants - it must be getting colder.

Hey, I just looked out of the window and there is a full moon!

At least Gardeners' World ended with its best joke in a long time, Rachel de Thame asked Julian Clary if he did any propagating.

Hey Geoff - watched it missed that little gem!

Westi

I'll be glad when the lighter mornings are back with us!