.... which has been sadly neglected. I have turned the next door compost bin though which was very dry. However needs must (as the other two bins are now full), so I turned, ejected all the big lleylandi cuttings from last year that I'd just thrown in there to keep out of the way, added some moisture and newspaper and now can get on with the business of building a proper heap.
The shed is just overflowing with all sorts atm. I'm definitely in need of some secure shelving before I disappear under a pile of pots and feeds. The green greenhouse tubing effort that has done me so well so far, is creaking under the weight. Had a look in an old IKEA catalogue there and I reckon the Gorm(less) range would suit my purposes very well. Will get out there with a tape measure tonight.
Right onto the important stuff - the crops !
These are marmande on the left (I think). Trouble is they're rotting before ripening. I've lost about three on this truss. Not got a clue about the ones on the right - possibly Legend. Again some strange markings at the top. I may just pick them and shove them in a drawer to see what happens.
What's left of the lettuce patch. There is another trough of cut and come again leaves somewhere, but Mr Sluggy is eating more of them than we are. I've sown some more within the same trough and have some Valdor lettuce on the go but they're nowhere near planting out stage yet.
The rhubarb patch has really taken off a treat. Next year - crumble !
The forsythia cuttings that I took from Dad's garden earlier in the year and really getting established now. There's a pink flowering bush in there as well which were taken from his next door neighbour as well. I'll keep them in the cold frame until spring and then they're going along the communal border for when I'm not nicking "her upstairs" garden ! The polycarb sheeting is covering a late bucket of rainbow carrits ! Hopefully have them by Christmas.
These chillies are in the same corner as the aubs. I'll definitely have to pick a few of them soon. I think they're quite mild (although could be dreadfully wrong here) - just fry an eat - it will be a a taste adventure.
My two aubergines (can't find the other one) have been chucked in a corner of the little greenhouse and left to get on with it. I might be able to harvest the bigger one shortly though now I've got some ripening tops to make some ratatouille with. It will only be one portion though and not the freezer load that I was hoping for. I'm definitely not an aubergine growing type person. That's two years now I've failed with them. I'll try a couple of token Black Beauty's next next but for fun only ! :-P
Something's attacking the spinach! Not got a clue what. The leaves have patches of papery patches. So I just cut them off and hope for the best ! One plant was complete sheared off at the base but not a slug trail to be seen. The turnips seem to be settling in quite well though.
Don't even want to talk about the greenhouse ! The majority of the ripening toms are the Gardners Delight, everything else is just starting to set ! A bit bloody late to put in an effort now ! (although it could be due to my rather haphazard watering efforts this year).
Mum's brown marigolds that share a hanging basket with some cherry toms have escaped Mr Sluggy's attention which can't be said for the one's in the ground. They keep doing well even though they're rather crowding out the toms !
The deck is looking a bit leggy now I've given the fuchsias a haircut when all the leaves looked as if they'd caught some kind of nasty disease. Since then, we've had no rain to speak of so the disease rate has slowed down considerably. Everything is still blooming though.
Sarah's Delta doing ok but could do better. Will give it some more attention next year. With some pinching and filling out, it would look lovely. I really don't like the way older blooms go from blue to pink, or in Deep Purple's case, from purple to pink. I really love Deep Purple though and have taken some cuttings for next year. Burnt the first batch to a crisp in the propogator (which was in direct sunlight). Second batch have carefully been put down on the floor away from the early morning sun.
Some of Mum's Can Can pansies blooming. The one's in the smaller trough have definitely grown into larger plants than the one's in the whisky barrel. Root restriction I guess.
Took my first crop of Hestia Runner beans this morning. Plenty more wee beans to come if we can get an elongation frost free period.
Clematis Durandii and passion flower. About half a dozen blooms on the clematis this year and jolly nice they look too. No blooms on the passion flower yet but I suppose they'd do better next year having had a year's growth.
Either Gartenperle or Tumbling Tom. Cannae mind which now. Labelling hasn't been top priority this year. Had a few picks, but nowhere near as heavy cropping as the Gartenperles last year despite plenty of blooms.
Diascia Apple Bloomsom has really done well. I've had this a couple of years now, but this year is the first time it has gone bananas. Going over now, but will definitely try and look after it for next year.
This is the second blooming period for my wee cactus in the bathroom - Mammillaria Spinosissima. Poor wee thing just gets ignored totally. It's now about 6" tall so congratulations for it's efforts.
The Naughty Marietta marigolds along the border keep beating me in the dead heading race but they continue to bloom and bring a bright splash of sunshine to the garden. The courgettes are all but done. There's still a couple of fruit growing, but I will hoik the spent ones out tonight.
I've had one or two pickings off the blueberry bushes, and can see from the window that I need to have another pick. I really need to sort out the soft fruit beds. I want a raspberry bed and a tayberry. The soil for both really need enriching before I order. I need to negotiate with the supplier as well. I really haven't got room for 10 canes which come as standard so I'm hoping he'll let me have just the 5. I was in a garden centre yesterday and they were selling buy two get one free for £4.99 per plant !!! Thieving bar stewards ! Suffice to say their plants stayed where they were. I was a good girl and only ended coming out with a pack of copper fungicide which I've often read about but never had in stock. Something else for the creaking shelf !
Right, off to pick some carrits. There's a cake baking competition at work and my contribution is the carrits for carrit cake ! I don't bake ! Don't like this at all though, 6.39am and it's still very dawn like. Red clouds too, not a good sign.
TTFN
xx
The courgettes are done now and should be dug up, but all the bins are full so I'm just slinging everything in a compost bag and creating a new pile up at the lottie.
lovely pansies (thanks Mum). Could believe my eyes when I saw this black one ! The primroses are destined for the lottie.
Have been picking the hestia runners but they're a bit stringy. Think I left them (ignored them) for too long. Sent the OH out last night to pick a handful before the predicted frosts struck and he came back with what looked a pea pod ! Turned out to be a sweetpea pod ! Perhaps he's trying to poison me or something ! :-O Needless to say, I had to go out and harvest the beans myself.
