Almost but not quite

   Yes! I have managed to clear the tomatoes and pepare and sow half a bed of broad beans (variety De Seville a longue cosse). The plan is to sow the other half of the bed probably in the middle of November the idea being to get some sort of succession come the spring. All the best laid plans of mice and men come to mind.

Broad bean bed

    A local english friend has given me some Elephant garlic and I have planted the bulbs. I have not yet been able to source my usual garlic, Violet, yet but there is still plenty of time. 

  With a little sadness but not before time I have cut down my lavander plants with a mind to remove them. They were well past their best and the oringinal purpose of planting them has now gone. So, another veg bed? Umm! Do I have ago at growing sweet peppers again? Maybe.

On the weather front there has been a frost! First one in my patch of the woods and that did for the tomatoes. Shame really as a few more days would have seen a lot of tomatoes getting to the point where I could have put them in brown paper bags to ripen. 

  On the chicken front nothing new. Coops cleaned out and the removed bedding added to that already spread on what will be next years brassica bed.

   Suddenly the trees have turned golden. I guess that was the frost that finally convinced the trees autumn had arrived. They are a very pretty site.

All the signs

    Well all the signs that autumn is firmly here in la Creuse are now showing. Mushrooms in the field, the Grue (common crane) are flying over on their way to their winter migration sites, leaves falling, shorter days.

   In the garden not much has been achieved. Seems to be the usual statement over the last few weeks. Drizzle and short, on the cold side, days do not make one feel like getting into the garden. Oh yes there is lots to do. The weather forecast for the coming week is very promising and I have in mind (I do not say tplanned!) to sow broad beans and plant garlic. Watch out for next weeks report!! The last summer cabbage has been cut and I managed to pick a few more tomatoes and pull some carrots. The tomatoes are now all but done and I do not think I will get anymore ripe ones although I will leave them for another week as the weather is going to be sunny and warm.

Autumn marches on

   Autumn is getting itself established! The wood burner has been lit several times now and the weather is settling down to periods of showers and colder average temperatures. There is the odd day of warmth, one day this week it went up to 18 degrees centigrade, but mostly the day time temperatures are around 10 to 12 degress. The lower temperatures and damper conditions do please the winter crops. The Brussels sprouts, the early purple sprouting, the swedes and leeks are all now looking good much to my pleasure and delight after a period of heat and drought that made me think I was going to loose the lot! Also the cooler weather over the last couple of weeks has allowed more tomatoes to ripen and I have harvested more than I thought I would. Also much to my surpise I have been able to pull some outdoor lettuce that has survived the drought. They are small but are edible. So as always lots of jobs to do which probably will not get done and it is getting close to the time to consider planting out the garlic. Chickens are mostly in moult so egg laying is down but enough are being laid for my consumtion. 

Brussels Sprout plant

Winter brassica bed

Tomato report

   Well I guess I need to be grateful to have got a reasonable crop of tomatoes this year. My Champeau Jens Orange have done well, followed by Champeau Gardeners Delight, followed by Champeau Noire Crimee and then my Champeau french heritage varities (Champeau Andine Cornue, Champeau Poitron). The Champeau Noire Crimee were a little small but plenty of them. All prefixed "Champeau" because the seed was gathered from plants grown in my garden. I am still hopefull for a few more large ripe toms but it will depend on whether or not the weather stays on the warm side a for week or two yet. So far 12.5kgs of mixed tomatoes. Once more I have gathered tomato seed for next year. I have to say the tomatoes are tasting good! The last Black Mountain water melon has been picked and it is a big one! The weather has turned cold, wet and windy! It looks like I will get two butternut sqashes where I had thought I would get none due to late planting. It will soon be time to get the Giant Pacific pumpkin in but as the plant has not died yet I am leaving it. Some plants have enjoyed the cooler and wetter conditions. The swede have picked up and I am hopeful of getting something. The winter brassicas are looking good. I have even had to light the wood burner in my front room which over the last couple of years has not been lit at all! The woodman has turned up an delivered his 12 cubic metres of cut wood which I managed to move and stack this lot off my drive in record time this year. So, that means a load of wood ash next spring for the garden.