I am finally getting round to planting my autumn onions and shallots.
Unfortunately for me, I thought the Trading Hut was not going to stock them this year so I went and paid through the nose at Stewarts! Not that there is anything wrong with their sets but they did cost me 3 times the Trading Hut price. If you haven't already bought yours from the Hut, you are out of luck as they have sold out and you will have to go somewhere else. However, I think they may still have a few Garlic bulbs. My biggest problem is that I am in the middle of setting up my rotation system and the plot for onions is still occupied by winter and spring brassicas. I managed to squeeze a row of Garlic (Solent Wight), the row of shallots (Jermor) and a row of red onions (Electric) between cabbages and kale, but finished up planting the rest of the red onions and my white onions (Radar) in next year's potato patch. It means I shall be a bit short of space for potatoes but then I usually plant far too many anyway!
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It may be getting towards the end of the growing season for vegetables but noone has told the weeds! I spent this morning clearing a space to put in some savoy cabbage plants and took two large barrow-loads of weeds to the compost heap! There were a few old brassica leaves in with them as I cleaned up the neighbouring row of cauliflower plants, removing all the old yellowing leaves but the growth of chickweed and others was staggering! I am saving some of the coarser weeds and spent crops for the bottom of my winter compost heap - so the courgette plants can stand a little longer and the last 3 courgettes will become marrows! I have removed a panel from the Spring compost bin ready to dig it out and transfer it to the middle bin to complete the rotting down process. Then I can look forward to a binful of dark crumbly compost next spring. I need to construct some top extensions to build the current bin up a bit as it soon rots down and I'm left with just over half a binful.
There were also a few raspberries - just enough for a bowl each for my wife and I this evening.
On my next visit I must finish sowing my green manure (on next year's potato patch) and deal with some more weeds so I can plant my onions and garlic. I've been rather busy elsewhere since my last post - and the weather seems to be against me! However, the rain is very welcome. I am going away over Christmas so I am rushing to get everything done for winter. I've finished emptying the leafmould bin and dug it in under a patch for next year's sweet corn etc. I've also sowed Italian Ryegrass and Vetches on the patch, which I hope to dig in next spring. Part of my old legume (peas & beans) patch has also been cleared and sown with mustard. It is a bit late for sowing Mustard so it may not grow. I have used it there as my rotation scheme means I will not be using that patch for brassicas for some years as Mustard is in the same family. I've harvested the last of my sweet corn as the mice/rats have been making a meal of them. I've chopped up the stalks using them as a base for my compost bin. Luckily I saw the last cob amongst the stalks before I chopped it up as it was probably the best one I've had! Now I need to transfer over the contents of the next bin to turn the material and help it finish composting. Many crops are coming to an end as the weather cools but I have been pleasantly surprised by some. My late sowing of dwarf French Beans is still producing and the courgettes are only just slowing down. I have left a few to grow into marrows. I also had a pleasant surprise when I almost tripped over a huge turnip from a late sowing. A neighbour tells me it should be OK and not woody just because it is big as it grew quickly. I'll let you now in a future post when I've tried it! One other surprise was the asparagus spear that has suddenly appeared just as I should be cutting down the foliage! My new asparagus bed with a mulch of lovely black compost. The new spears showing just as I should be cutting down the foliage! What do I do? I spent Thursday morning just concentrating on a couple of jobs that have been hanging around for a couple of weeks and becoming increasingly urgent!
1. Started digging out my leaf mould bin from the year before last as I need the space for this year's leaves. The top was still dry leaves so they went into last year's bin to break down for a year longer but underneath was much better. It was not completely broken down as I did not shred them. Some leaves break down in a couple of years but oak takes a bit longer and sycamore takes ages if not shredded. I should have spread them out on the grass and mowed them up, shredding them and mixing in a bit of grass - it all helps. However, the leaves are mostly composted so I dug them in under the patch I will grow my sweet corn etc. next year. I shall be sowing a green manure on this as well, probably italian ryegrass. (I made good use of my 'Backsaver' spade so it was very easy digging! I can recommend this [unfortunately very expensive] tool for anyone struggling to dig because they have a back problem. 'Google' 'Backsaver' or leave a message on the contact page if you want more info.) 2. Enlarged the netting on my late crop of peas. (A bit optimistic but what the heck!) They had grown up the climbing net and reached the top so I had to raise the netting to give it room! Of course, I had some courgettes to harvest, and some chard, and, somewhat surprisingly, 10 cucumbers! - and the wife has already bought one from Lidl! |
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May 2023
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