I can’t believe how quick the summer went by. The garden has some signs of autumn so I thought it is a good time for a new diary entry. These diary entries are mostly for my own benefit and a memory aid for next year.
The Greenhouse
The 2nd sowing of rocket and pak choi has been very slow to produce anything, but the spinach is doing well. I much prefer the spinach planted in an overcrowded way and picked when small leaves than the outside plants that were spaced out. It is the young leaves in salad we like to eat.
The chillies and tomatoes have done well and I need to harvest the chillies once I have decided how to store them. The pepper has been a bit of a disaster. There’s just one decent sized pepper growing and I doubt it will get much bigger now our nights are getting much colder.
The cucumber is still producing and even has some signs of new ones, but again I think it is probably too late for those to grow.
The courgettes finished a couple of weeks ago.
The raised borders
I have made a start on emptying some of the raised borders, as the wood sides are being replaced. This is pretty backbreaking work so not a quick job. The lupins and columbines have been potted up from one border so this is almost ready for the new wood.
The constant bug battle with the sprouts continues, first it was snails, then it was fighting off the cabbage white butterfly and now it seems to be being munched by an army of earwigs. I don’t use bug killer so it is a losing battle at the moment. I have two plants and now I’m thinking if I get 8 sprouts I will be happy. But I won’t grow more sprouts.
The outside spinach has bolted and we haven’t eaten many of the leaves. The Chinese seaweed cabbage is a hit though and snapping off leaves is working well and it is still producing. We will see how the 2nd sowing goes.
The everlasting sweet peas need to be moved to where there is a fence. They get so top heavy that I had to trim in back and it still crushed my support with its weight and the wind.
The pots and containers
The carrots I haven’t tried picking yet. The beetroots have been a disaster again and I will stop growing them.
The potatoes are just being dug out of the growing bag as we need them and have been ok. They are roosters and too floury a variety for our liking, we prefer waxy potatoes but all the seed potatoes had sold out.
The single pea plant in a pot by the greenhouse actually produced quite a few peas!
The monarda Bergamot flowers I planted in various places has actually done best in a pot.
We have some signs of autumn here too. The early to change trees have just started. Most of our garden is done and composted. Our tomatoes were a huge success. The bell peppers are still producing. For the most part the rest was a bit of a waste.
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I’m still waiting for the one bell pepper that is growing to get a proper shape. I should be spending more time gardening whilst the weather is ok.
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You have a greenhouse? I am packing my bags and moving it!! I want one so badly, but since I kind of live in the hail capital of the world, it isn’t something that I can really have. Every year I think that I will put in come cold frames, but I never manage it. Anyway, I kind of have some envy going on here.
All of your autumn makes me look forward to ours. This week some of the trees have started to turn yellow, so it is on the way. 🙂
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Yes I love my greenhouse, we are so far north that tomatoes don’t get ripe without items some summers haven’t even with it.
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That’s what I was thinking when I saw the tomatoes in the greenhouse. Do you have to start plants early indoors before moving them to the greenhouse?
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To preserve your chilies……..roast them just until their skins blister (do it on the stove top so you can turn them often). Let them cool and then bag them and freeze them. I have 6 year old chilies in my freezer that are still fantastic when we use them in recipes. You can also freeze them as they are now.
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Thanks Marsha. I will give both a go.
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Yes, I have a heated propagator that I use inside to start some and others just inside on top of the dog crate.
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what a brilliant “working” garden you have! I do envy you the greenhouse in particular, and you must be pretty proud of having grown mediterranean veggies in the highlands, well done you!
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Autumn is definitely coming! You’ve had a good garden this year, and learned lots too, as always happens.
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You are having brilliant success with your garden!
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What a garden!
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All of my potted plants, vegetables included did terrible this year. None of my usual go to flowers did well. The only thing that thrived was ornamental sweet potato vine. I think it was just a 2020 thing. I had so many bugs I couldn’t fight them off. Even with bug killer. It’s time to clear the pots out and store for winter. What a year!
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