Winter has broken out

The clock went back at the weekend. Suddenly the weather has turned cold. Cloudless skys gives a hard frost and we had the first proper crispy frost overnight on the Tuesday 28th. Some people locally had snow. We just had a bit of sleet. It be interesting to see what state the soil is in at the weekend.

Over exercised

I have been on holiday this past week. I got about a bit, visiting suppliers that I would not normally get a chance to visit. It was nice to get about the countryside without being under pressure to be somewhere. I managed spend some time at the lottie. I dug lot of bed 2 but managed to strain the muscles of my lower back. Bit of a bugger really. The back is feeling much better by today so much so that I did the poo trailer run as normal.

I haver tidied up the green house and potted up some Buddliea that had self set in the front garden. I shall leave the back garden until after Christmas when the plants are truly dormant and then give everything a pruning. I dug out the dead annuals from the front garden and with H direction planted a load of bulbs, of different sorts, for the spring.

H and I have been busy making Chutney's of one sort or another. There has been a lot of pie making as well. We were given a very large number of Bramley apples. It seems a bit short sighted just to crush them all for juice. I have yet to make some Mint jelly. Surprising as it may seem but you need apples for that too.

Biting Wind

The last few weeks were a over shadowed by having to give notice to one of the Society members. It has been on the cards for ages but it is never a nice things to do but now it is done things can move on. The year has turned in the past week. Most of the trees are dressed for Autumn and the wind has an edge to it.

I went the lottie as usual on Saturday and manged to harvest various crops; another Red Cabbage for pickling, some Hispi, some Leeks which although quite small are very tasty and some very odd looking carrots. H came with me just to get out of the house. H tweaked her back a few weeks ago and means she has had a hard time sleeping and that of course affects everything else. She is feeling better by the day so healing is taking place. Under H's direction I bagged what was required. I dug up the remaining early spring sown Carrots, but they were a disaster. They had all split and peeled open. That is because they were not kept watered. However the ones planted late summer are smashing. I planted a globe shape variety. They are sweet and about the size of a gobstopper. They went in whole in to Sunday's stew. I dug up a few of the late crop just to see how they were doing. Very well is the answer. They still have to bulk up but they are nice and straight and without Carrot fly damage. Whatever the herb was a planted with the carrot has deterred the carrot fly. I am trying to remember, I think it was Coriander. I did not like the smell of it and neither did the dreaded carrot fly. So there is a lesson from 2008.

The Pumpkins are ready. I tried to move the vine to tidy it up but it just came off the fruit, ergo it is ready. We have plenty of Pumpkin. Nine in fact. All about a foot across and 5 to 6 pounds in weight. Since the clean up last week the Grape vines are very prominent. I had a good look at them. I still have to work out how to train them.

I went round to my friend Gloria and picked a load of her Apples. They are a bit beat up but should do for crushing. The shed is stuffed with trays and sacks of Apples. There is a fruity, fermenting small about the place. There is still the Salsify to harvest and eat. It is also called Oyster plant because of it taste. I think I will have to have an experiment before it goes on the table before the ladies of the house. I have not been brave enough to dig up one of the Japanese Burdock. I have found recipes for it on the t'interweb. I figure it will over winter until I have time to mess about.

I have this week off, if the weather allows, there will be digging at the allotment.

Harvest time

It is a busy ole time. Crops to harvest, hedgerow fossicking to do and making of preserves to say nothing of winter digging and general cleaning up of the plot. I have even looked at my back garden yet. The Green house is full a Tomatoes, all green, green tomato chutney anyone?

I harvested the remaining Sweet Corn yesterday and the outdoor Cucumber as well as the butternut squash. I bagged a couple of handfulls of Carrots and a nice head a cabbage. I got another Red cabbage for pickling. H has promise Lancashire hotpot which which you can not have without pickled red cabbage. It is a rule. I dug up the Caulis. The curds where really small, about the size of the your fist. They will go for Piccalilli. I cleaned the weeds up as a cleared the cauli. Slowly but surely the cabbage bed is being turned over. This bed is the root bed next year so it is due for a deep dig in the spring. The rain which weathermen promised, started on cue which put an end to Saturdays outdoor activities.

I got to the lottie early on Sunday. The morning was beautiful and it continued to be sunny and hot all day. Pete, my lottie neighbour, was there before me. He had got a bonfire going so I got a chance to burn off off the rubbish that is too tough or seedy for the compost bin. I even got rid of a couple manky pallets and other combustible bits and pieces. I managed to plant out the Savoy cabbage seedling which became very leggy from sitting in the greenhouse too long. I took down the bean frame and stowed the poles for the winter. I considered the "X" frame an improvement over the traditional "A" frame or wigwam so I will be doing that again next year. I think I will try proper bean/pea trench this winter to see if I can improve the crop. This year was all rush so I just threw the seeds in the ground and left them to it. I did not even have the time do proper pea sticks and the yield suffered. However if a I can catch the mice they should be quite porky having stuffed themselves with my Broad Beans and Peas. The Pumpkin are looking magnificent. Let hope nothing happens to them before the end of the month.

Now that the Bean patch is cleared I can see the Grape vines clearly. They look great. They must be at least six feet tall. I have to read my books to work out how to prune them to train them along the wires. No rush though, they have not died back yet. I will better able to see the stems once the leaves have fallen.

There have been developments at the lottie which is like having a weight taken off my shoulders. Still lots to do before Christmas. Most of which I dare not speak about in case I jinx it.

I got back later from the lottie and had to go straight out. I missed lunch so it was a good job I had had a big breakfast. I found a Butcher in Swadlincote that make very good Black Pudding. It is made with course cut fat which makes a very pleasant addition to my Sunday morning breakfast plate.