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I also picked some runner beans this weekend, you can see them here with the sweet peas and corn.

Notice also the courgette. One plant has grown significantly, though only has this small fruit on it. The other plant has flowers, but is stunted for some reason?

I’ve been up the plot today to do some weeding and also to pick some fruits of my labours.

As you can see form the pics below, there there are a lot of them coming on this year so I may actually get to eat one.

I think [wink) ]the rhubarb was ready for picking at the weekend, so I cut quite a few stalks and gave some away. The rest I cut up and microwaved with honey. Oh yes, it was yummy. I’m looking forward to it coming back again and again this year. I will try it with custard next time - having it with my breakfast all week this week.




I’ve been setting my hanging baskets tonight. Just put the lobellia in and left the rest as they were a bit pot bound. That way they can spread out before I put the rest of the baskets together.

Here is a bit of trivia for you about lobellia:

“It’s also known as Indian Tobacco, and Pukeweed.

Lobellia originates from Eastern USA, but is also cultivated in other parts of the world. It has pale green or yellowish leaves about 3-8cm long, and fruit consisting of a capsule containing numerous small, brown seeds. The herb is used medicinally, and is cultivated once the fruits are ripe.

Lobellia is a respiratory stimulant, and is highly regarded for its effect in treating asthma and bronchitis. It is also a tobacco deterrent and is used as a major ingredient in many anti-smoking mixtures as it has similar, but less potent, pharmacological properties to nicotine, which help to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.”

I went up the allotment today in between snow showers and picked some more leeks and sprouts. The leeks seem to be OK, though the sprouts are starting to burst, so they have to be eaten now or never.

Well, it’s the end of the season now and most things I had been growing have finally given up for the year.

These runner beans for instance were the last of their kind. I let them grow so I could collect the beans for next years plants.

As you can see there were not many left on the plant. Runner beans are good nitrogenators of the soil. So they will put back more than they use. Next year I will move them to another patch so they can add to the soil there.

I took these picture a little while ago as I let them grow on a bit.

The rest of my day at the plot was spent getting rid of weeds and clearing some of the ground by using weed killer on it. It shouldn’t do any harm to the crops next year.

I noticed that some of my fellow plot holders had bought in piles of manure. One had a huge pile that could have covered the whole plot an inch deep! I thought that was a bit over the top as you really only need to dig in some manure closer the the season. I will get mine from a friend and of course I have the spent hops from the brewery as well. These I will be variously holding on to or digging in as and when I plant. Some vegetables cant be planted with manure as it burns them, so that does need to be dug in ahead of time, but mostly they love a good bit of horse dung to start them off.

I didn’t see anyone at the plot yesterday, so I guess they have all been during the week - lucky them to have the time really. Some of us still have to work 9 to 5.

The winter sprouts are doing well, buds have formed and should be good at Christmas and beyond. Also the parsnips and swede are doing well.

I finally took down my tomatoes and put the last few on the windowsill to ripen. We have had a bumper crop this year and I have frozen quite a bit for later use. I have also been using them for my lunches in the week and in any cooking I do. You cant beat home grown tomatoes for flavour, especially when used with home grown chiilies. Although I didn’t get a bumper crop of those - for obvious reasons - there are still a good few and of course, last years dried crop have lasted as well.

I finally harvested the corn today:

It wasn’t fully to the tip, but it was time to crop it. It tasted very good actually.

I also took a look at the pumpkin which is still growing - no one is more amazed than I:

Other than that I tidied up the plot and checked on the compost as I needed some for the Bluebells I hope to plant soon.

I cut up the last of the cauliflower today. We are having it tonight - not with a cheese sauce this time, but probably with a little butter.

I decided to harvest a colly this weekend as I had guests round and wanted them to try one:

It was beautiful and sweet and so tender. I was very impressed as this is my first attempt at cauliflower and the slugs and bugs have been kept off them, plus they have had to contend with weeds stealing their nutrients.

I lightly steamed it and provided a home-made cheese sauce in case they wanted to smother it, but I found it didn’t need it.

I did weed a bit this weekend, but only for an hour as I wanted to get back and prepare for my guests arrival.

This is the last of the cabbage. I have harvested them all now:

I had hoped they would be larger before they were ready, but they had started to burst, so it was definitely time to harvest. They have all been rather nice and have offered up a selection of creepy crawlies in their folds.

The bad weather has returned today, but not before I was able to get up there and dig out the remaining spuds

I was also pleased to see that a pumpkin had survived so far and had actually grown. It’s not as far along the line as I would have liked, but I am pleased that it has stuck two fingers up to the weather and got on with doing its business.

You also know I mentioned how my sweetcorn had survived the last bout of rampant rain? Well, it has managed to grow and produce cobs. I don’t think they will be massive - unlike my neighbour who planted his very early on, but at least they will be edible by the looks of it. The plants themselves are not very tall - dwarf I guess you could say - but nature has done its best to provide.

This weather has really thinned out my runners as well. Last year the plants were all bushy and produced a lot of pods. This year they are very thin and are doing their best to provide, but are thin on the ground. At least they are tender and tasty.

One good thing to happen is the onions. they have loved all that rain and are not bothered by wind - though some humans might beg to differ.

I had one of these last night and they were really nice, not tart like you can get with Spanish onions. They also didn’t make my eyes water as much as shop bought ones.

Well, I went to dig out the last of the earlies as I wanted them for my evening meal.

Once again they were delicious, light and full of flavour. I also dug up a couple of the cabbages, but they seem to have some water damage, so I didn’t get as much from them as I would have liked. Still, they were tasty and I really must say much better than the shop bought ones.

In the video below you can see me digging the spuds up.

Hopefully the lates will be just as tasty. Will try some next week or so.