We’re expecting a wet and mild temp winter here in the UK. Later this month when I’m settled from travelling I’m planning to rig up more water butts to maximise storage of winter rain ready for next year. Last year October was very mild (mid teens Celsius) so I’ll likely have a decent chunk of time to get DIY jobs like that done remaining before temps dip.
Planting
Recently I got a bunch of cheap bags of compost due to various retailers selling off this year’s stock. I’ve been putting it to good use.
I’ve sown a bunch of seeds. Direct sown: winter radishes mooli / daikon and black Spanish. Module sown flowers: snapdragons, white aquilegia, various foxgloves, rose campion. Module sown food crops: Sutherland kale, chives, perennial rocket, bronze fennel.
I transplanted my perpetual spinach from where I sowed it last month, mostly as a way to space the plants out as they were crowded.
I’ve divided a big pot of golden marjoram (Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’) into eight separate 15cm pots plus a chunk that I’ve already planted in the ground. The old pot is plastic and damaged so it’s off to the tip. Golden marjoram is often grown in pots or window boxes rather than in the ground but it seems happy enough in my slightly sandy soil. I’ll keep a couple of pots for myself but the rest is destined for neighbours or the new community garden plot, which needs its own blog post soon. Some achillea ptarmica ‘The Pearl’ has seeded itself in my strawberry pots so I’ve potted that up for the community garden too.
I think my second round of lavender cuttings may have taken this time, they seem to be putting out new leaf which is a good sign. Half are ‘Munstead’ and half are ‘Hidcote’, again destined for neighbours or the community garden.
I didn’t get around to planting out the sweet william in late August but they went out the first week of September.
Harvest
I harvested my first large tomato and my first few ‘Roma’ tomatoes in August. I also got my first two ‘Green Zebra’ tomatoes which I’ve been harvesting most days now in September too. I’m still getting lots of cherry tomatoes from four tumbling plants.
I have been harvesting lots of cannelini type beans, I will weigh them all at the end of the season but from two small patches I already have a heaped cereal bowl worth of dry beans.
I gave up harvesting the ‘Wonder of Venice’ and purple French beans after they had slowed in the last heatwave. The ‘Wonder of Venice’ continued putting out pods with the plants still looking quite healthy – but I’m letting the beans dry now regardless. The purple have fully given up the ghost at this point and I’m waiting for the last pods to dry. The runner beans are still trying but I’m not picking them as it’s a meagre offer.
The two North American varieties ‘Cherokee Trail of Tears’ and ‘Greasy’ beans are doing great. The Cherokee beans in particular look heavy with pods, the Greasy beans aren’t meant to be prolific but deal with drought and look like they have a decent amount of pods. Again I’ll weigh them at the end of season and see what the per plant yield is.
I was really happy with my sweet corn. I only harvested one ear per plant (expected yield for the UK’s short season) and left the small ears for the wildlife if they want it.
I’ve had a lot of chillies. Mostly cayenne and apache (shop bought plants).
I picked my first two Chinese aster blooms of the season. I cut a lot of the cosmos to make bouquets for home. I have a small amount of statice too.
Someone gave me a small feverfew plant and it looks gorgeous and happy where I planted it. I’m waiting until next year to use it for cut flowers. Pollinators love it.
My courgette plant gave up a while ago, it didn’t keep up in full sun this year with the excessive heat and cloudless days.
I’ve been picking a lot of coriander and parsley leaf. Also had a second flush of chives. Still getting huge basil harvests so there’s lots of frozen pesto in the freezer. Most of the coriander plants have bolted so I’m now waiting for seed.
I’ve been picking dill seeds and bronze fennel seeds to eat but also to plant next year.
Misc tasks
I got all my tarps and other durable sheeting out to check sizes and condition as I’m giving some to a neighbour in need and will use some at the community garden to suppress / prevent weeds until we get around to landscaping. So currently the front of my plot is pretty cluttered with piles of plastic sheeting,
I made a small wooden sign for the community garden to say what it is for passers by.
I repainted my main raised salad box, a d50 x w150cm ish wooden container on legs. It’s now green with a pink flower pattern on one end.
I started filling a new raised planter, 100x100cm and 80cm high. Still debating what to plant in it, possibly chives alongside carrots and parsnips next year.
I’ve been saving seeds of various things. Everything is still in open containers to continue drying and yet to be put away in envelopes.
I’ll do a what did and didn’t work this year list at some point. I’ve had a really naff year for annual cut flowers, tomatoes and courgettes in particular. But lots of other things did really well so they’re worth focusing on and giving them their flowers. There’s definitely lessons learned for next year.
