The all new good, bad and ugly of growing your own in 2020

carinjo

Finally managed to drag myself to the allotment this morning. Managed to tidy most of the front plot. Harvested loads of tomatoes, runnerbeans and some chard that sprouted up next to the compost bin. Mr A gave me advice on what to do with the last of the tomatoes: get rid of most of the leaves except a few on top, so all the energy goes to the remaining fruit. Left my garden scissors at home, so will do that tomorrow. The lady who donated the chard gave me advice on drying the seeds from the bolted plant, also donated a lemon balm and another herb (looks like thyme, but she not sure) for me to do with what i want. Going to split both and look after it at home ready for the back plot next season. 
The xmas potatoes coming along nicely, will weed tomorrow and earth it up. Going to rain from wednesday, after that who knows when i'll be able to do more work. But for my first 'proper' year, happy with what i achieved. 
At home had some salad seeds going a bit leggy, they were in too much shade, but looks like it recovering. All the propagated lavender and sage still looking good. 

DiggerUK

Working through logs, sawing and splitting. Got plenty of supply this year as we had a huge chunk blown off an oak in one of the horse fields come down. As we had plenty on we got someone in to saw it through, at the same time we got all the overhang off the hedges removed. Field looks twice as big, of course it isn't, but the rain and light can now get to all the edges and will give a little extra grazing.

Another sign of season change is the increased drifting of leaves coming down today. We had been surprised that the recent high winds hadn't started the leaves coming down earlier, but as far as Digger Mansions is concerned it's officially autumn now..._

carinjo

Rain yesterday and when I got to the car this morning saw damaged underside and a flat tyre thanks to some questionable driving on allotment monday. Oops. Managed to get to the plot before it started tipping down, earthed up the potatoes and managed to work my way through most of the tomato plants, trimming the leaves. 
@DiggerUK enjoy the autumn colours, not quite there yet here in south hertfordshire.

Suffolk_lass

We are clearing and doing quite a bit of weedage (bl***y oxalis corniculata or creeping wood sorrel is everywhere). Last few squashes are in on window sills (making sure the stalks are dried and they are not rotting from the inside) onions are hanging (need to make a jar of pickled onions in time for Christmas with some shallots). My freezers are bulging with garden produce and the first few jars of passata made. We have half a lamb expected soon (not grown in the garden but on the grass three fields away). 

carinjo

Finished the tomato leaf clearing. Harvested the last of the leaf beet. Marked out the one long side of both plots and trimmed the couch grass untill the battery on trimmer ran out. Layed down some weed suppressing fabric ready for artichoke bed next season. Covered the potatoes since an animal found the compost soil very appealing 
Started digging up one of the blackcurrents for my nephew, decided did not have the energy. Maybe tomorrow. One of the neighbours gave me directions to stables for free manure and straw, so will add that to my list for next week. 

Suffolk_lass

Bit of picking and pottering for me. I might have picked all the remaining tomatoes in the greenhouse but I'm not convinced. I have picked another huge flush of beans and some still in flower. Cooking lunch for many people today so will use most then

DiggerUK

Welsh drizzle day today so I have been in and out picking Conference Pears and Bramleys' in between it pausing. It's lovely, romantic and mystical if on the Gower or in Snowdonia, but not quite the same effect here.
Its the best show from pears we have ever had, chuffed to bits. We have never had to pick these pears this late before, the shortage of sunshine has affected us.

Champion pear  came in at 186g/7.9 oz, and champion apple came in at 432g/15.2 oz. (The malt glass is for a malt, not show)..._

carinjo

DiggerUK said:

Champion pear  came in at 186g/7.9 oz, and champion apple came in at 432g/15.2 oz. (The malt glass is for a malt, not show)..._

That is one big !!!!!! apple! And hope the malt was tasty!
Today threw up unexpected bonusses. A stop at the recycling centre scored us a cubic rubble bag from someone who was about to bin it. Was perfect for the stop at stables for some straw and manure. The kindness of the stable staff was unexpected. One is not always used to people taking time out of their day for a chat and a helping hand. 
Hoping to collect another bag tomorrow morning before the rains and building some raised herb beds under the plum tree. 
Looking forward to Friday, going to my sister, she is going to teach me how to make sweet tomato jam, got about 2kg of tomatoes to work with. 

carinjo

Yesterday Ms C and I managed to work the manure into the front plot, build a respectable bonfire pile from runnerbeans, tomatoes etc for Guy Fawkes. I dug out the area under the plum tree for raised beds for herb boxes and also cut down some couch grass. Dug out a blackcurrent for my nephew, which was hard work, since it was tucked inbetween the fig tree and a gooseberry. 

Suffolk_lass

We still have flowers on some of the runners and will leave them in the ground until after the frost - not just the leaves - I think I recall the roots are nitrogen fixers and should be left in the ground to rot, to be followed by potatoes next year. I've also got two courgette plants still producing (albeit smaller) fruits - made soup with some this week. The rain certainly made them grow. 

I also cut all the tomatoes down this week and have three punnets to ripen and freeze. Still got roots, brassicas and leeks growing, and some potatoes in the ground. Pretty much everything else has finished and is in now. I have bread sacks (the 16kg sized paper ones) full of butternut and Autumn squash, a pile of crown prince (7 huge ones) and about 6 strings of onions in the larder, with all the other surplus frozen. I really need to do some herbaceous border digging and dividing this year.