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Sunday, November 20, 2022

Potatoes

 We used to host a Potato Day in the village, but Covid put paid to that and it has not been possible to get it going again. However the excellent nursery I have used for years is still supplying (thank you Pennard Plants).

The varieties I have ordered to grow next year are:

First Earlies

Red Duke of York E Multy

Rocket 1E Waxy

Winston 1E Waxy


Second Earlies

Acoustic 2E Multy

Charlotte 2E Waxy

Harmony 2EW/Multy 

Sagitta 2E Multy  


Mains

Ambo EM Multy

Markies M Floury

Orla EM Multy

Saturday, November 19, 2022

First Frost of winter overnight 18/19 November

 A crisp clear start this morning

No more fruit on these bushes till next year
No more fruit on these bushes till next year

Brussels sprouts should now be sweeter
Brussels sprouts should now be sweeter

Red kale happily coping with frost
Red kale happily coping with frost



Friday, November 11, 2022

The veggie beds in November

 Whilst spring always seems to be bursting with new life and summer is full of growth and generosity, autumn can look rather scruffy and past it on the veggie beds - but that's a false impression isn't it? Yes, some parts are just waiting for attention, but others are laden with food to see us through the winter, they just don't look so pristine as they did in summer. The photos, below show the beds as they are this week.


Salads
Sheltered cut and come again salads replaced spring cabbage.
There are still some red cabbage and swede to use.

Former tenderstem bed
Scruffiest of the lot? Stalks and stems of French marigolds
which were interplanted with the tender stem broccoli (all gone).

Mustard green manure
Mustard green manure, sown after the peas had finished

Parsnip and carrot
A few rows of parsnip, the rest is carrots

Beetroot and leaf beat
Beetroot in the foreground, the spinach in the middle has all gone,
leaf beat at the rear for winter use.

Tomato and cucumber
Still a few tomatoes coming and a cucumber too!

Cabbage and leek
This year's experiment, some overwintering greens in with the leeks.
The greens are taking up too much area, but the leeks have ben swelling.

Former salads from summer
Summer's salads, all past it now, the bed will get manure then compost on top,
followed by a sowing of field beans for green manure.
In the backgrounds are pots with emerging Babington perennial leeks. 

Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts (with caterpillar damage) and
behind broccoli, green and red kale and kalettes. 

Fruits
Raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and strawberries.

Aubergine and pepper
The other greenhouse with now fruitless aubergine, 
cucumber and pepper plants.


Close up views on some of the beds


Kale
Green and red kale, kalettes behind.

Broccoli
Hoping for some good broccoli in the spring.

Cabbage
Cabage heading up

Cabbage
Cabbage headed up more.

Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts - getting there slowly.

Red Cabbage
Large head of read cabbage

Kalettes
Kalette plants

Kalettes
Kalettes close up. The are delicious - like a mix of kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

Swede
Swede


Celeriac
This bed was climbing beans, growing under and between the beans
and now getting unobstructed light, nice plump celeriacs.
















Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Autumn and early winter food gluts

 No matter how well I think I have planned, sown in succession and planted, Mother Nature always has her own ideas, which usually means more of something than we can manage. 

This year it was courgettes and various types of climbing bean (not runners, we don't much like them), so I went in search of recipes and came across a brilliant site, with not just recipes, but many resources and advice for gardeners, it's well worth sharing, so here it is: Allotment and gardens

Allotment and Gardens



A potato picture, in November?

 


Well, that was in May this year, I have been growing potatoes successfully in containers for a few years now, but I picked this one just as a sign of growth and hope - and don't we need quite a bit more of that these days? I do have next year's seed potatoes on order already from Pennard Plants

Life here is very different, I now have a new little helper in the garden as we are now happy grandparents. Many of the things we used to think important, or found time to do fell by the wayside - this blog included.

Now that I have found it again, I shall make no promises, but looking back at old posts, I can see what a useful record it has been for me, so who knows.