Slow down

   What can I say? I just do not know where the last two weeks has gone. Cannot say I have been particularly busy but the short days seem to make time go quicker. So it has been two weeks since the last blog. Apologies for missing a week but looking at the gardening log there has not been much activity in the garden.
   A reasonable number of nice looking butternut and blue squash harvested. The grand children enjoyed picking the pumpkins for Halloween. One nice big one and several small but useful sized ones harvested. Quite pleased with them considering that all I did this year was put seeds directly in the ground instead of starting them off in pots.I have sowed some peas in the poly tunnel. You never know! My nice crop of lettuce had grown to the size of small footballs and have been fed to the chickens. They loved them. There are still some sweet peppers and chili's and I guess they will continue until the first frost. Plenty of beetroot, swede, carrots and spinach! The very last Gardeners Delight (Champeau) were picked and put in the freezer. The garlic planted two weeks ago is up and going well.
  On the animal front all are fine. Herr Jumper ram is being a pest but I have constructed Stalag III and that seems to be containing him for the time being. Plan is to move him out of site of the ewes. The chickens are not laying well and I guess that is partly due to the short days and the fact that they are coming out of their annual molt. 
  I have read that the grass will keep growing until it regularly below six degrees C. Could be mowing grass well into November then! Lots of weeding to do but I sometimes wonder if it is really worth it at this time of year as there is nothing to sow or plant and they will only grow again!
  Below is a picture of the end result of forking ground, sowing, weeding, digging up, drying, peeling and pickling shallots!

Blue squash

Pickled onions

New arrivals

New arrivals pair of Buff Orpingtons

      Starting this week with the animals. New arrivals at Watermeadows. A pair of Buff Orpington hens bought mainly because Mr. Ixworth needed more female company! Another reason was to get some fresh hens in and up the egg count which lately has not been exceptional at all! The sickly lamb looks very much on the mend after her worm dose and we are hopeful that she will fully recover. Ducks are being ducks and it looks like Mrs. Runner has finished laying for this year. 
      In the garden more weeding, more gathering of mini and normal sweet peppers, aubergine, lettuce, chili's, cauliflower and the start of harvesting the squash. I did not know that I had sowed blue squash. I think I must have mixed up some seed somehow. Still, they have done well. The sun has been shinning and for several hours of the day and the weather has been just like summer. Just to remind me that it is not summer there was one morning where there was a frost. A hint of winter? Well, maybe and anyway I bought some garlic bulbs and divided up the bulbs and planted the cloves. I am hoping for a better harvest than this season just about gone. Sprouts! Yes I have sprouts. First time in years whether in the UK or in France. The winter crops are loving the mild weather and are growing well. Cabbage, swede, carrots all going great guns. Here is hoping.

Garlic bed

Weeded squash bed

Chili, aubergines and sweet peppers

Blue squash

Autumn rain and sun rain and sun....

   The weather has been wet and sunny. What does that mean? Yep! Growing grass! But grass that is too wet to mow and the days are shorter so there is less time for it to dry off enough to allow me to mow it. Also it means that the slugs are on the move and no chickens in the garden to keep them under control. Upside? Yep. Winter brassicas, beetroot, leeks and swede are all growing well. Harvesting continues with aubergines, tomatoes, beetroot, spinach, sweet peppers and chili's all being picked, cut and pulled! More chili's for the freezer. The tomatoes are now really coming to an end with some stragglers hanging on and me with fingers crossed that those tomatoes still on the vine will at least start to ripen. If they start I have a good chance of finishing them off in the house. Fortunately there are not many and the weather is looking favourable over the next few days (warm and sun). I also been  collecting tomato seed. So far Noire Crimee and  Andene Corne have been done with Potiron Ecarlate close behind. These are all french heritage varieties that have done well and we have really enjoyed. I still want to gather some Champeau Gardeners Delight that this year have been exceptional. The pumpkin patch continues to develop and there are various sizes of pumpkins from just formed ones to a nice big one turning a lovely orange.

   On the animal front we have now wormed and trimmed all the sheep's feet. We have a sickly lamb which we believe and hope was being affected by a large worm burden. She certainly has picked up since worming. The female duck is still laying the odd egg but all the fowl have been moulting and growing new feathers. So egg production is very low!

   So onward into autumn and early winter we go!

Pumpkin patch

Ripening pumpkin

Three growing pumpkins

The first pumpkin