Eggs? What eggs?

    The main topic this last week has been the lack of eggs! A week of no eggs. I had to buy some. That is no joke! The weather has been mild with some sun. Only one morning of frost.

    The last of the tomatoes have been picked and despite the blight the overall crop has been ok. Would have been a lot better if there had not been blight but least I got some! Picked the last of the Hot Stuff chilli's which now just leaves a couple of Scotch Bonnet plants with a few fruits on them (yes, I was surprised to read that chilli peppers are fruits). Of course grass cut, mainly to clear up leaves. Lot easier than raking! Lol! Cabbage and cauliflower cut, BF-15 potatoes lifted. Only a few haricot vert left drying in my porch which I doubt will now dry successfully which will be turned into baked beans! In my brassica patch I deliberately left the cabbage plants once I had cut the main cabbage. The plant then throws up mini cabbages so you get a bonus! In our local market they were selling these for thirty cents! (25p).

    So the main task this last week has been to attack the plague of rats. I need a pied piper! I have cleaned out the chicken coop and applied the necessary stuff repeatedly but there are lots of them. Going take a few applications methinks.

Brassica patch

Weeds and grass

    Well I finally decided that I needed to attack the weeds and grass on my bulb bank. The bulbs are starting to grow and the bank was thick with weeds and grass despite me having had a go at it a while back. So this last week has mostly been spent doing that...clearing the spring bulb bank. This is one of problems of having a garden in the country side. One is surrounding by weeds and grass so it is continuous effort keeping weeds down. I have a "weed bank" where I take quite literally barrow loads of weeds and pile them up to compost down. It must now been some thirty feet long by three to four feet high. Of course this is several years of accumulation but every year a significant amount is added.

   So, what else? An area of ground was cleared, forked, weeded, raked and planted up with Germidour and Elephant garlic and over winter broad beans sown. This year I found my favourite broad bean which I grew in the UK, D'Aguadulce. Germidour is not the usual garlic I grow. In previous years I have planted the variety Violet. BF-15 potatoes dug, cabbage cut. Yes, I still have BF-15 potatoes in the ground and there are still quite a few to lift. No point in lifting them to store as they are second earlies and will not store well. Finally took down the cucumber netting and frame and tidied up the large Hugelkultur bed. Started to remove the haricot vert plants and gather any dried pods which I have plans to turn into baked beans! Couple of Scotch Bonnet chilli's picked along with several ones call Hot Stuff. Now we will see if they make my eldest grandson's eyes water!! Yes the usual task of mowing grass undertaken. Seems to never stop growing!

   Chickens are being chickens and the little (some not so little!) blighters are not laying at all now. Coops cleaned out. I am fighting a battle with rats of which there has been a population explosion. 

Bulb bank clearance end of day 1

Bulb bank clearance

Frost!

     Did a short visit to the UK and what do I come back too? FROST! First serious frost of the year and that has finished off the sweet peppers and any life left in the squash and pumpkins. Last of the water melons picked and only one lost to, believe it or not, being over ripe! Carrots, butternut squash, sweet peppers, potatoes (yes, I have some second earlies still in the ground!), haricot buerre (which I have been very pleased with), cabbage, poly tunnel chili's, the last courgette and poly tunnel tomatoes (all but done now) all harvested over the last two weeks. 

     With the onset of frost the last of the sweet peppers and haricot buerre have been picked. The total weight of haricot beans, vert and buerre, has been 19.74 kgs, of which 5.53 kgs have been haricot buerre.

     Of course grass mowing continues and hopefully with the frosts it will now slow down. Chickens are still not laying well most likely down to the short days of day light and moulting. Over the the last two weeks an average of 0.7 eggs laid daily. Very poor!

Waltham butternut squash 

Haricot buerre and mixed sweet peppers

   

     Water melons continue to be picked and very much enjoyed. Haricot vert and buerre picked, BF-15 potatoes (yes, I know they are second earlies but...) lifted, mixed sweet peppers, aubergines,tomatoes picked. Yes, lots of produce still in the garden although now noticeably coming to an end. Thoughts of where to plant garlic and broad beans being made but it is still a little early and I will leave that until I come back from the UK later in October. I have bought a different garlic variety this year, Germidour and I will plant these along side some Champ Elephant garlic and probably along with some Champ Violet. Yes, it is autumn but the grass here continues to grown so the grass had to be mowed. I suspect once again this task will go on well into the autumn!

    Chickens are being chickens with coop maintenance done. Egg production is down again not surprising given the shorter days and moulting. Average daily production 1.1.

Haricot buerre 4.070kgs

Mixed sweet peppers

Pickle collection 2021 onions beetroot eggs