Gardening blog
Week thirty eight September
16th - September 23rd
2022
September 18th 2022
Keeping the pigeons (that nest in my trees) from eating my greens requires netting. See video Keeping the pigeons from eating my brassicas without getting blackbirds trapped
Keeping the pigeons (that nest in my trees) from eating my greens requires netting. See video Keeping the pigeons from eating my brassicas without getting blackbirds trapped
September 17th 2022
Most of the apples are getting ripe now including those grafted onto other trees. I planted my pea beens near the big apple in the centre of my plot - possibly too near! See video The pea beans (like the grapes) have climbed to the top of the apple tree.
Most of the apples are getting ripe now including those grafted onto other trees. I planted my pea beens near the big apple in the centre of my plot - possibly too near! See video The pea beans (like the grapes) have climbed to the top of the apple tree.
September 16th 2022
I try to make as much compost as I can and to that end the heep needs turning on a regular basis in the summer. See video Autumn is gradually taking over from summer - today it was raining!
2013
I try to make as much compost as I can and to that end the heep needs turning on a regular basis in the summer. See video Autumn is gradually taking over from summer - today it was raining!
Thursday 19th September
Finished planting out red onjon sets
2006
Finished planting out red onjon sets
Saturday 16th September 2006.
Fed more bees
Fed more bees
Sunday September 17th 2006.
Planted out first Japanese onion sets. This year instead of planting them in two long rows nine inches apart and spacing the sets out seven or eight inches apart I have decided to plant them in a square and space them only three or four inches apart. This way I stand a chance of planting out all the sets I have bought and can thin them out in the spring using the thinnings as salad onions. I also sowed a packet of spring onion seed thickly in a short row and after treading the soil firm I pressed in a straight bamboo cane laid on the soil with my foot. That made a smooth impression into the soil that I could then sow the seed into at the right depth.
Planted out first Japanese onion sets. This year instead of planting them in two long rows nine inches apart and spacing the sets out seven or eight inches apart I have decided to plant them in a square and space them only three or four inches apart. This way I stand a chance of planting out all the sets I have bought and can thin them out in the spring using the thinnings as salad onions. I also sowed a packet of spring onion seed thickly in a short row and after treading the soil firm I pressed in a straight bamboo cane laid on the soil with my foot. That made a smooth impression into the soil that I could then sow the seed into at the right depth.
I planted the onion sets in a piece of ground that I dug potatoes from as the tops of the potato had died down already. The potato crop is going to be well down this year as a result of the lack of rain in June and July.
The Norfolk Russet apple tree that I rescued from the brambles and bindweed in
the spring has re-paid me with a bumper crop of apples that needed picking
before the birds eat any more of them. There was still some brambles and bindweed
that had moved back in since the spring but it was not so hard to deal with it
this time around. The tree still needs heavy pruning as the tall, straight,
upward growing branches won't stay thin enough to bend down to pick the crop
for much longer. They will need to be cut down to size to keep the apples in
reach. This was after all a tree that was purchased as a cordon apple tree.
It shouldn't grow more than a few feet high
This year the grapevine attached to the top six inches of the shed has given me a bumper crop, half of which I picked today, this late warm spell helped to ripen them so that they are actually worth eating.
Saturday 23rd September 2006
Picked more grapes
2005
Picked more grapes
Thursday 22nd September 2005.
It is even warmer today and all the bees are bringing in pollen in quantity. I opened the two hives on the student plot today and put strips in those. I have opened up most of the hives now to put Varoa strips in.
Wednesday 21st September 2005
It is getting warmer and the honey I'm taking off the hives now is dark and rich.
Tuesday 20th September 2005
The warm weather has returned and the bees are loving it.
Sunday 18th September 2005
Planted out the first of the Spring cabbage plants from my saved seed.
2003
September 22nd 3.30pm
Autumn and the rain has arrived after two months summer draught.
September 19th 2003
The sun continues to shine and the allotment stays dry. The bees are buzzing and I guess making honey from the Ivy.
2000
September 16
The slugs I destroyed earlier in the week had only been the advance party and it's been raining, so all of the cabbage plants were now being consumed by large slugs. Something had to be done.
The plot I had allocated for sowing this year autumn broad beans in now has a row of 'Spring Hero' in instead. The plants given to me that I planted out two weeks ago were also Spring Hero. So far they haven't been touched, but they have been planted in the middle of open ground and the weather during the first week after planting had been rain free, the dry sandy soil was no invitation for the slugs to travel over. Now that it is truly damp autumn weather things may be different.
