We only visited the allotment once last week. This was in part due to the weather and partly due to having other things to do. One of the other things was a couple of days away at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Gala. Apparently they were running some celebrity trains but, to me, they were a blue one, a green one, a red one and a black one. We spent a couple of days filming interspersed with walking to good location in and around Goathland. Friday afternoon involved sheltering on the moors huddled together under a large umbrella but the rest of the time the weather defied the forecasts and was sunny and fairly warm. We kept the umbrella close at hand - just in case.
As for the weather impacting on our time at the allotment, the rest if the week was showery. As we had harvested what we need for the week we decided to stay away. On Monday, the day of our one and only visit, Martyn lifted the remaining potatoes from our odds and ends bed. This was where we planted leftover tubers. There were three varieties - Winston, Nadine and Osprey.
Whilst, Martyn was busy lifting potatoes, I was potting up runners from our old strawberry bed. This bed will be cleared next year, so we decided to take some runners which will be transferred to a second new bed. Hopefully this will mean that when the strawberries planted in this year's new bed are fading, we will still have this second bed providing fruit. Well that's the plan anyway.
The runners, still attached to the parent plant, have been pinned into pots of compost. Hopefully they will root before winter takes a grip when they will be detached and popped in the greenhouse. To be honest, I've maybe left this a little late but it was a last minute decision. It's worth giving it a go, just as it was worth sowing a late batch of peas. These are starting to form pods so we may still manage a small crop.
It was also worth planting the Safari French beans after lifting the early potatoes as these have done really well!
The annual flowers that I sowed in September have germinated well. Now they just need to grow a bit more before winter sets in, and avoid the attention of the slugs that will relish this week's wet conditions.
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| Can you spot the seedlings under the mesh? |
Leaves seem to be falling from the trees quickly this year. They seem to have forgotten that they should put on a colorful display before shedding. I get the impression that this autumn will be a damp squib, however at least the blueberries are not disappointing.
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Finally, this week's harvest group photo.
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| 23 September |
I'm guessing those will be the last of our berries. The wet weather this week will have probably turned and remaining berries to mush.
At least the rain should have moistened the ground enough to start digging, that is if it stops before turning the soil into mud!
A video of last week's jobs is posted here
If you want to view more of my owl photos I've posted a first slideshow on Youtube
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Love your description of the trains! Sorry the weather isn't good again, it's a real problem too early in the season. Your strawberry runners are better than my established plants, which doesn't bode well for next year's fruits in my garden.
ReplyDeleteWe had a decent day until around tea time, Deborah and then more rain.
DeleteI love that dramatic sky photo - very atmospheric. We should have prepared some runners from our strawberries but may have missed the boat with that job - there's so much bindweed growing that we may need to start the bed from scratch next year
ReplyDeleteI only did my runners last week so it may be still worth a go, Belinda - that was my thoughts anyway.
DeleteHopefully our potatoes will look as good as yours - that's one task that's on the to do list this year. Envious of those beans - they look great! It's a smart idea to get a new strawberry bed going while the old one is still productive - I'm hoping to do succession strawberry beds as well but ours is only in it's 2nd year so that won't be for a year or so yet. Fingers crossed the weather cooperates and your plants root before winter.
ReplyDeleteThe beans were a bonus, Margaret.
DeleteI'm with you in the trains :) I love the colour of the blueberry foliage, mine have done the same. I didn't realise it would be an extra treat, on top of the blueberries themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe blueberries are worth having just for autumn colour, Julieanne
DeleteYour photos are superb as usual. I can't imagine looking out the front window and seeing sheep in the garden. Ha... I wouldn't have to mow would I? The trains look interesting. In our small town we have 80 to 100 trains per day go through. Nothing like these though. Your veggie harvests make me feel like a slug.
ReplyDeleteThe residents all have gates closed, Lisa as the sheep wouldn’t stop at grass. It’s amazing that they aren’t knocked over. One ran out straight in front of a bus.
DeleteYour description of the trains made me laugh. I'm surprised Martyn allows it! Someone gave me some apples just like yours today. Discovery? Not sure. I always try and do that with the strawberries as well so that the new plants have a year to mature while I'm still getting strawberries from older plants. Hopefully I have another couple of years in mine at the moment though as they only really hit their stride this year.
ReplyDeleteHe tolerates my foibles CJ s long as I provide him with a set of video clips. We think those apples are Discovery, We inherited the trees so can’t be sure.
DeleteI'm smiling re your train comment! I do love those moody skies. Agreat harvest, love the late plantings.xxx
ReplyDeleteThe moody skies are lots better appreciated in photos than in real life, Dina
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