Indian Summer

   The last week or so has seen what I guess would be called an Indian summer. The mornings have been cool and most of the day sunny and warm with the odd day of rain. Grand growing weather and good working out in the garden weather. Only problem is life gets in the way!
    In the poly tunnel my Christmas potatoes have shown their heads! Will this year be the year of the Christmas potato? Sweet peppers continue to ripen as do the chillies. The few lettuce are growing well as is the latest batch of salad bowl lettuce. It has not been a good year for drying herbs in the poly tunnel, too damp. 

Water Melons

   In the vegetable garden water melon have been harvested and eaten! Yum! Carrots are being pulled and there is a marked reluctance to eat anymore aubergine! Beetroot are also being pulled. The first picking of  the Asturian tree cabbage has been made. Not a bad taste, very much like "spring greens" but not so strong tasting.  My daughter said it took ages to cook. The grass continues to need mowing and I am starting to look at the apple trees with a view to cutting out dead wood. Bulbs are on my mind but the area I need to plant them in is going to need some work first.
    The chickens continue to be a menace despite whatever I do to keep them off the plots. Latest casualty has been my fennel and the row of carrots along side them. Would not have thought chickens would like fennel. My garlic bed has been gone over a couple of times now.
   I am trying an experiment with Louvier cabbage seed. I have sown individual seeds and put plastic bottles over them. This is to aid germination and also to keep those feather menaces from eating the seedlings. The idea is to get the plants to a size whereby they will stand the winter and come next spring produce a spring crop of cabbage. Worth a try. The turnips, swede and winter cabbage are now picking up from the chicken strikes. I have covered them with netting. Fingers crossed I may get a turnip or two but I am doubtful about the swede. The cabbages will do something whatever. They are big enough now to stand the winter.

Will it? Will it not?

   Rain that is? As I sit typing this the clouds are rolling in, dark, black and forbidding! Looks like a storm is about to hit. Time will tell. I need it to rain as my water butts are now all but empty. If it does not rain I will have to get out the hose and pump water from the well!
   I guess the weather got to me. It took me far too long to weed and fork over one my vegetable beds. Yes, it is probably the biggest one in area but even so it is not hard digging. I guess I should put it down to the nice very warm sunny days and the desire once it did get warm to stop and enjoy! Ha!. Still, done now.
   The chickens continue to play havoc. I have now covered up my winter cabbage, Kohl Rabi , swede and turnips in an effort to allow them to grow a little. Of course, I made the mistake of leaving my lettuce bed exposed and yes you guessed it the chickens moved in before you could say "Jack Robinson". Oh well, I have to think that the eggs will be rich in Omega 3 and it is just another way of cycling the lettuce. Ummph! Bl**dy chickens! The fennel row is looking good. Thinned it out and hand weeded around the plants. Should be a good crop. Chickens do not seem to like fennel. Famous last words. Autumn carrots look good but you know who have taken an interest in the tops. I have for the third time resowed spinach. This time I have put cloches over them! Lots of weeding and forking done. The summer "yellow" leeks are ready to harvest. First try of the "pop" corn. Not good. Think I will leave some to dry and then try it.  Cooler weather means more work completed! Lol! 
   In the poly tunnel nothing new has happened. The basil is coming to the end of its usefulness and will soon be removed or allowed to go to seed. Sweet peppers and the chilli's are still looking good and are producing more flowers. I guess they will carry on until it gets too cold. 
   Oh, it did rain. One butt filled.

   

Weeding and forking the small triangle bed

   

   

Do not say it...

   The weather has continued to be very warm with cool mornings. Trouble is with this type of weather I want to enjoy it but there is work to do!
   Despite the fact that the melons seemed to have died off too soon and did not appear to be ripe I managed to get a reasonable number to finish ripening in my porch. So all in all a decent amount of melon was had.
   The first buttercup squash has been eaten. Very nice too. I would recommend this variety as a very worthwhile alternative to butternut squash. The texture of the squash after cooking is very much like a sweet potato as is its taste. My daughter, Sophie, I know is going to enjoy experimenting with this squash.
   So, what has been going on in and around the garden. Lots of forking, weeding and grass cutting. The local wood provider has delivered a load of wood and that has now been stacked in the hanger ready for the cold weather which is sure to arrive sooner rather than later. With this sunny warm weather I have been gathering the Gigante runner beans and Bollotti beans as they have ripened and getting them dried off. There is quite a reasonable crop. The aubergine crop continues to be good and I still picking some haricot vert and pulling carrots. The sweet peppers California Wonder and orange Mini Belle in the poly tunnel are still growing and producing as are the chillies. Once more I am trying for Christmas potatoes but I think I have planted them a little late. Oh yes. The garlic has been planted. With hindsight I looked back at my last years log and I have planted the garlic about a month early. Instinct kicking in? Umm. As a matter of interest as I was clearing and forking over last seasons garlic plot I came across some that I had not dug up. The bulbs has good root growth and good leaf growth. Umm. Sign of a hard winter?

Buttercup Squash

Buttercup Squash

A little late but welcome all the same

   Over the last week the weather has taken a turn for the better. The mornings have been cool and the air crisp. The days have been sunny and very warm. Excellent weather for working in the garden and by George there is lots to do! You can tell autumn is upon us here in Champeau as the grapes are ripening. Who gets to them first? Me or the birds?

   It is about time to plant garlic. After last seasons excellent crop I will take bulbs from my own home grown garlic. Just need to make up my mind where I will plant them.
   Once again there is a need to clear out the weeds from the strawberry beds. The Mara des Bois plants have loads of flowers on them and hopefully, slugs, chickens, mould etc. permitting there should be a reasonable autumn crop.

Mare des Bois strawberries September 2014

   I have completed my digging up of my wonderful crop of potatoes. This warm sunny weather has been perfect for this task. I have also dug up some of the "volunteer" Violet potatoes and there is a lot more of these to find yet! So, Belle de Fontenay, Rosebelle, Desiree and Franceline all produced well. I do like the Belle de Fonenay and the Franceline varieties. Aubergines, variety De Barbentane, are producing a very worthwhile crop. The fennel I sowed is up and growing madly.  I have sown some turnips, variety Nancy a Feuille. The swede plants are growing away and the winter cabbage is well established and also growing well. The outside cucumber, La Diva, has now gone over. It has been another good year for this variety. This year has been an excellent one for squash. My buttercup and butternut varieties have produce well and again with this warm weather they are ripening perfectly.
   With the drier weather I have been able to "bush whack" a paddock that has been needing cutting for some time. Good job done! The grass is definitely slowing down as is the weed growth. About time!

Butternut squash

Buttercup squash