The next morning

Everything is still as wet as wet, but I can actually see sky above the clouds. Still relatively breezy so my major decision of the next half hour will be a) do I open the greenhouses b) or not !

I've still got 5 Black Beauty aubergines that are needing a good kick in the pants if they're to get anywhere before the big chill takes over and the useful daylight disappears. They were an afterthought this year but are doing so well now that if I don't get at least one, I shall be a little unhappy with myself.

Some unknown peppers have just started to bloom now as well (note to self: label properly next year). I'm wondering just how pricey it would be to stick a growing lamp in with them. Would probably have half the local constabulary down on me like a tonne of bricks and all looking for interesting varieties of 'erbs.

The Totem tom plants are ripening off nicely. Like I said this was my first year and I only sowed two varieties of toms, the Totems and hanging Gartenperles. Three of the first, about seven of the cherries. Nice fruit, shame about the plants ! I shall be more adventurous next season.

There's some salad leaves busy growing in g/h No. 1 just now. Red & Green salad bowl mixed, Delicato and a couple of trays worth of Little Gems. It will be a learning curve to see how far they get before they decide they've had enough.

Out on the patio there's a couple of pots of newly sown Autumn King carrots, all my fruit bushes (blackcurrant, redcurrant, blueberry), once again all first year plants and consequently not a berry to be seen on any of them. The strawberry plants seem to be flowering harder now than when they should have been and the strawb runners seem to have settled nicely. I'm filling up a deep raised bed with good things and shite to have a dedicated bed next year rather than the one pot I've crammed this years plants in. I think the OH would be more interested in what I'm doing if he thought he could get more than one strawb at each picking.

Nearly killed my grown from a cutting in a previous garden standard fuschia earlier on in the season by overwatering with inadequate draining holes. But it has definitely revived since being given some air to breath around its roots, but sadly all it's energies were taken up regrowing lots of green rather than any blooms. Still, next year it should be a lovely show.

No sign of my birdies this morning. I wonder if they're still in bed ? Saw a bit of a kerfuffle in the hedge yesterday morning only to see moggie sauntering out with it's breakfast firmly clasped in it's jaws. I was sad and realised the batteries must need changing in the scarer device. I hope my little feathered friends haven't been scared off.

Much as I'd like to sit here all day and tell you about all the happenings from the beginning of the season, the big hand says "get to work".

Ciao for now.