It’s hard to believe our harvesting time is nearly over, the only things remaining are tomatoes, a few beans, courgettes, a handful of carrots, beetroot round two and half a dozen red cabbages. Everything else has been brought in to be frozen (beans and brocolli), dried (onions) or pickled (first batch of beetroot).
The allotment is no longer at it’s peak, and things are looking a little untidy. (Ever had a house party and gone downstairs the morning after to see the aftermath in the cold light of day? It’s just like that!) The string on the beanstalk wigwam has rotted away, giving the whole thing a slightly drunken tilt. The tomatoes have had the stakes removed and are lying on straw beds, with some leaves removed so that the fruit can ripen in the late summer sun. (At this point I will confess I’m hoping they don’t ripen too much as I quite fancy making some chutney with the green ones!) Where the potatoes were, the ground just looks dry and barren now, with uneven heaps of soil. Sadly the potato harvest was not good; other things (slugs mainly) had got there first and had a good old munch. The chickens quite enjoyed the worst ones though so it wasn’t all bad. The rows of onions looked rather forlorn as the leaves had laid down and so we harvested them too, we gathered a whole bucket full and they are drying out at home, ready to be used through the autumn and winter. The brassica area, which had been netted off, looked unloved as we had removed individual plants to eat (again, the chickens benefited from the leaves and stalks, along with any grubs hiding amongst them).
It seems to have gone by so quickly, this growing season of ours. Being amateurs, we had only really planted ‘common’ summer crops, so we will have nothing to work on through the late autumn and winter. I have been taken by surprise at how short these months have seemed, and we are definitely going to look over our allotment books to find crops which we can grow to provide food for a longer part of the year. It’s almost sad, but the recent heavy rainfall will have benefited the heavy clay soil no end and Dave is hoping to rotavate the potato half, adding well rotted manure to add nutrients through the winter. There are other jobs we want to do there that aren’t directly related to the plants so hopefully we will have a warm autumn, allowing us to use our allotment time to prepare for next year.
I’ll finish with this photo of the field at the end of the allotments, it has sheep in it again, just like last year when we first went there. It really is a peaceful place to spend time, and quite pretty too (in my humble opinion).
good job! love the pics! My garden is over too-and you are right-it is a bit sad,
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Thank you, it’s a funny feeling isn’t it?
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I’m such a townie – it never occurred to me that you don’t get crops all year round!!
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Haha! I was brought up in the country but always thought of September as harvest time (I’ve followed a lot of tractors on my way to work!) and it was a bit if a shock. Looks like September will be allotment tidy up time instead, especially if the supply agency don’t get me much work!
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You seem to be a very positive and resourceful person. I am sure you will get it all worked out somehow:-)
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Thanks, I’m sure I’ll find something to keep me out of mischief. Luckily have 2 days a week lined up until Christmas anyway. š
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Looks like you’ve been busy, MrsCraft! Always good!
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I have indeed! Thank you š
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I love these pictures. They make me even more aware that Fall is coming, which is my favorite time of the year.
I’m very impressed with your harvest, even if you wanted it to go on a bit longer. I think growing any food of your own is amazing! My husband wants us to give it a try sometime, but with a three year old and a five month old, I can’t fathom. Hopefully in the future we can at least plant some tomatoes and cucumbers (those really do well where we are). I look forward to hearing more about this, and seeing more pictures! ā¤
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Thank you. We grew tomatoes at home two years ago and got a good crop from planting them in buckets! We.like autumn too, my 4 year old has got his eyes on all the conkers growing in the trees as there’s a whole row of them on our walk to church.
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I had to Google what a conker was. š I love when the little ones are into the seasons too. My three year old is just now understanding that Halloween is coming, and she is so excited! I hope she’s as crazy for the Fall season as her crazy mommy.
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Haha! Sorry š I have to Google US terms often. My son’s birthday is at the end of October so we get a Halloween birthday party most years! š
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I am SO jealous! I keep trying to convince my husband that we need a second wedding, this time in October instead of the boiling hot month of June. So far, it’s a no go. š
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Thanks for the follow. I’m glad to know someone from rural area. My late mother used to love tending to plants and pets. Her brother has several vines and small plants in his house and if I got money, I’ll break down my old house and make space for some home-grown plants.
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Thanks for following me too! I’ve not grown much before, although my family have worked on the land for several generations. Lovely to ‘meet’ you. š
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Women fascinate me because they’re always up to something good.
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I am so in awe! I am trying my hand at growing food in the garden but, except for spuds, I’m not doing too well. Your allotment looks great. Well done!
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Thank you for the lovely comment, it’s been a very steep learning curve with plenty of failures but it’s been great to enjoy so many lovely things and to know we’ve got a few bits preserved for later on. Keep trying new things, you never know what will happen. š
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We had loads of tomatoes last year and I made green chutney and still have jars.. thankfully they have ripened better this year and we have had lots of takers when we have given them away.. Onions looking good .. ours didn’t fair well, rotten most of them so had to throw most away..
All looking good..
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Thank you, the beetroot is now almost ready but I suspect the slugs may have helped themselves. We will see! The tomatoes have a few days left before we pick them and turn them into chutney.
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I am sure the beetroots will be fine.. And we have it coming out of ears.. Love making smoothies out of it too with some apple juice.. xx
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