The Beauty of Nature

I have left the grass this year as it is too late to mow again. It has already grown more than I thought and I am now contemplating getting the mower out again.

Well, it’s the end of the season now and most things I had been growing have finally given up for the year.

These runner beans for instance were the last of their kind. I let them grow so I could collect the beans for next years plants.

As you can see there were not many left on the plant. Runner beans are good nitrogenators of the soil. So they will put back more than they use. Next year I will move them to another patch so they can add to the soil there.

I took these picture a little while ago as I let them grow on a bit.

The rest of my day at the plot was spent getting rid of weeds and clearing some of the ground by using weed killer on it. It shouldn’t do any harm to the crops next year.

I noticed that some of my fellow plot holders had bought in piles of manure. One had a huge pile that could have covered the whole plot an inch deep! I thought that was a bit over the top as you really only need to dig in some manure closer the the season. I will get mine from a friend and of course I have the spent hops from the brewery as well. These I will be variously holding on to or digging in as and when I plant. Some vegetables cant be planted with manure as it burns them, so that does need to be dug in ahead of time, but mostly they love a good bit of horse dung to start them off.

I didn’t see anyone at the plot yesterday, so I guess they have all been during the week – lucky them to have the time really. Some of us still have to work 9 to 5.

The winter sprouts are doing well, buds have formed and should be good at Christmas and beyond. Also the parsnips and swede are doing well.

I finally took down my tomatoes and put the last few on the windowsill to ripen. We have had a bumper crop this year and I have frozen quite a bit for later use. I have also been using them for my lunches in the week and in any cooking I do. You cant beat home grown tomatoes for flavour, especially when used with home grown chiilies. Although I didn’t get a bumper crop of those – for obvious reasons – there are still a good few and of course, last years dried crop have lasted as well.

I went to check on the plot today as it was on the way to work and I haven’t been since the weekend and wanted to check on my handiwork.

I noticed that the strawberries were doing rather well. They have put their runners out everywhere and although I have plotted some of them up, I have left some of the rest to just root where they fell.

This shouldn’t be much of a problem and will thicken out the bushes, while still allowing for easy access.

I did have to pull a few up that had found their way into the plot next door.

We had a large crop this year, but I’m expecting a bumper crop next year.

Well, it looks as though the summer has come and gone for this year.

I went up to the plot to weed a bit and harvest some more swede for supper.

I noticed the Limnanthes were still flowering, which is odd given that they are supposed to be there at the beginning of the season to hold back white fly and so on.

This is what it says on the Fothergills website:

“The Poached Egg Flower is one of our earliest, and showiest annuals. Its cheery saucer-shaped yellow flowers are edged with white, and borne above fresh, pale-green leaves. Attractive to bees, it is also a very useful winter flowering pot plant. Grows to a height of 6in. (15cm) and a spread of 15in. (38cm). Hardy annual.

Flowers: June – August”

Early? August! I think not!

I finally harvested the corn today:

It wasn’t fully to the tip, but it was time to crop it. It tasted very good actually.

I also took a look at the pumpkin which is still growing – no one is more amazed than I:

Other than that I tidied up the plot and checked on the compost as I needed some for the Bluebells I hope to plant soon.

I cut up the last of the cauliflower today. We are having it tonight – not with a cheese sauce this time, but probably with a little butter.

I was digging over the plot this weekend and found rather a lot of slugs – all of the large variety. I couldn’t believe there could be so many in such a small area.

As you can see from the picture below, I have killed them all. Well, it was them or my veg.

I thought this weed was particularly pretty – for a weed. I know I should hate all weeds, but that’s not always possible when they look good.

I still dug it up though.

Do you remember when my comfrey was cut down by those helpful plot tidiers?

Well it has grown again almost to its former glory. It was a bit of a surprise, as I thought it was gone for this season. I did use it as compost, but I wanted to wait until the end of the season as it would then over winter nicely. Now it has grown again, I think it will still provide a good over winter compost enhancer.

I decided to harvest a colly this weekend as I had guests round and wanted them to try one:

It was beautiful and sweet and so tender. I was very impressed as this is my first attempt at cauliflower and the slugs and bugs have been kept off them, plus they have had to contend with weeds stealing their nutrients.

I lightly steamed it and provided a home-made cheese sauce in case they wanted to smother it, but I found it didn’t need it.

I did weed a bit this weekend, but only for an hour as I wanted to get back and prepare for my guests arrival.