My gardening diary
MONDAY
Perhaps because of our unusually hot summer, berries are ripening extraordinarily early. The branches of two rowan trees in our hedge, originally grown from seed from Leipzig Botanical Gardens, are weighed down with their orange fruit. Normally you’re not aware of them until late September. TUESDAY
Our spuds in pots have done exceptionally well. ‘Belle de Fontenay’ in particular has yielded a heavy crop. It’s a long, waxy potato that’s perfect for salads and is best boiled and peeled when cooked, although it’s difficult to resist peeling a couple warm and eating them immediately, smothered in bu er! WEDNESDAY
Aquilegias have had a tough time of it in the last few years – a strange virus resulting in the demise of many plants. We’ve collected seed from our remaining healthy plants and we’re going to sow some of it now, and more in the spring, and hopefully bring numbers in our garden back up. THURSDAY
Supermarket basil and dill are pulled apart and po ed individually, watered well and kept on the greenhouse bench to bring them on. They’ll have time to establish well and give us plenty of leaves before the weather gets cold. FRIDAY
Leftover mint in big pots and in full flower have been planted up in even bigger pots alongside Nicotiana
affinis. Not only do they look good together but there’s also a delicious perfume both night and day. At the end of the season we’ll simply pull out the tobacco plant and put the pots in the tunnel for fresh mint all winter. SATURDAY
Our li le pond is full of algae. It has been a common problem due to the sunny weather. We’re using a child’s net to take it out and to remove as much of the duckweed as possible at the same time. We’ll leave it on the margins of the pond to give anything living a fighting chance. SUNDAY
In an a empt to make full use of our limited veg plots (both in raised beds), we’re planting out le uce, rocket, beetroot and parsley raised in module trays wherever we’re taking out crops that have reached the end of their usefulness.