For once what I asked for...

   In my last blog I hoped for drier weather. Well, guess what? Yes, I have had a drier week. One night of serious rain but otherwise it has been dry. That meant I could get on with the clearing work. As I worked the soil it was noticeable how dry it is despite the down pour over one night. The sun has been shinning and it has been warm during the day. Fingers crossed I may get one or two turnip/swedes! In the poly tunnel there is a cauliflower! This is much to my surprise as I usually overwinter cauliflowers and they are ready to harvest in the spring. Usually I sow All the Year Round but this year I bought some from the local market. They must have been autumn cauliflowers. Hey ho.
   So what has been happening? The days are short and I tend not to get going until late morning. This is mostly because I am trying not to over do things while I continue to recover from my illness. Tomato plants are being cleared and beds weeded. That is pretty much it. On the animal front one of the meat chickens is producing big eggs and they are double yokers. It is really time those meat chickens headed for the freezer.
   So autumn marches on into winter. The leaves on the trees are now turned to autumn colours of shades of yellow and red and are starting to seriously fall. The weather forecast though is for the weather to stay mild and no rain so I may catch up yet!

Autumn colour

The chicken must has had to really squeeze this one out!

   

At last really feeling up to it!

One Hundredweight Pumpkins

   At long last I feel well and almost back to normal. Of course as soon as I am wiling and able to go work in the garden it rains! Half of the lawn is mowed, the other is growing away quite merrily.  Looking at my garden log what have I done? Picked the last of the tomatoes, pulled some beetroot (poor crop) and dug up a couple of celeriac. Some critter took a fancy to my celeriac this year and many have been eaten. The little devils tunnel under the plant and then eat it from the cover of their tunnel! The  tomato plants have now been frosted and now need to be cleared. I have picked sweet peppers (yes the sweet peppers outside and in the poly tunnel are still producing although I think this will be the last) and gathered up the pumpkins. The pumpkins have been a success this year despite the dry summer. My devious plan of digging out a hole, filling it with manure, covering it up and planting the pumpkin plant on top worked out well! Some 82 kg of pumpkin. One Hundredweight pumpkins came in at 17 kg, two at 16 kg and one at 13 kg. The Justkyn pumpkins are smaller and weighed around 2 kg each. At the supermarket price of two euros ninety nine a kilo that is a tidy sum. Here is hoping for drier conditions so I can try to catch up!

Justkyn Pumpkins

Still little done...

   The illness lingers on and I am not able to do as much as I would wish. New arrivals at Watermeadows. Two Pardoue cockerels and three Indian Runner ducks. The cockerels have been named Wellington and Bonaparte (what else?).

Wellington (light coloured) and Bonaparte)

   A week flows by and I find that I have not achieved much at all! Looking at my garden log all I read is "pulled carrots, picked tomatoes". Oh I sorted out some seeds that I had drying in the poly tunnel. Bit of grass cutting. That exhausted me. Damn bug.
  On the weather front it has got colder. There has been an air frost which has killed off the cucamelon plants and I am sure set in motion the end for most other tender plants.
 The temperature during the day is now cold enough to justify lighting the wood burner and  as I am feeling under the weather I need that comfort! Silly me tripped up while chasing chickens and landed on my side bruising my ribs. Just as I was feeling more energised.

   Over the next week the weather is staying on the dry side and getting a little warmer so I  should be able to finish cutting the grass. 
   The winter veg continue to grow although the early broccoli has been attacked by caterpillars, probably white butterfly. Most of the cabbages are looking very good.
   Nothing new in the poly tunnel other than I am now closing the doors at both ends most of the day if not all day and night. Frost threats are increasing although there is not anything in the poly tunnel that would be a great loss to frost.
   With the end of October looming the real winter starts here in La Creuse. Wonder what is in store?
  

Powering on

   OK! I am now reasonably recovered from my illness. Still have a bit of a runny nose and a little phlegm on my chest but most certainly an awful lot better.

Turnip/swede

   I have started to catch up on jobs in the garden. Of course I had to cut grass and if the weather stays dry I suspect I will have one more round of grass cutting to do. I have been sorting out some of the vegetable beds. The turnip/swedes have been thinned and weeded. The carrots have been thinned and weeded. The winter cabbage is looking very good and is well established. Just need to keep the chickens off and the white butterflies away until it gets colder. Just to see what happens as I have missed out on planting Christmas potatoes I have put some turnip/swede plants in the poly tunnel.  I have prepared the garlic bed and planted it with Violet garlic bulbs. Maybe this season they will not get rust. The outside tomatoes are still ripening fruit but the plants are definitely on their way out. So far some thirty eight kilos (approx 84 Ibs)of tomatoes picked.  The pumpkin and squash plants are have now died away leaving a lovely collection of 100 weight and Justynka pumpkins. The butternut squash has been disappointing. The plants were good but the squash did not set well. I think the plants did not like being under the branches of the oak tree, however, buttercup squash has done very well. There are plenty of apples about and I have been busy picking some. I have four varieties in my pantry and still one more to add. I am not convinced that it is worth picking a lot of apples as they do not get eaten even if made into apple mush and put in the freezer. I have also been looking at the quince tree in my neighbours hedge. There is a lot of fruit on it but quince is one of those fruits that I am not convinced is really worth doing anything with.

Bed one of winter cabbage

Getting active at last

Collection of sweet peppers

     The frustration of being ill continues. I have had little inclination to do much in the garden bar pick or pull some vegetables. Much to my surprise the few Touchon carrots that germinated are proving to be really good sized carrots. The most I have done is to clear out the cucumbers from the poly tunnel and tidy up the winter cabbage patch and put a net around them to keep the chickens off. Oh I did cut some grass too.
     So what else have I been doing on my road to recovery? Well I have pickled shallots, made several lots of pasata and made a cake. I have now pretty much caught up with the tomatoes. Should be a few more to come if there is not a frost. So far 34+ kilogrammes harvested. Not sure if I am pleased or disappointed with that total. As you can see from the picture the sweet peppers are coming in strongly, again much to my surprise. This is the first time I have grown chocolate sweet peppers. Quite amusing really.
   The chickens have continued to disappoint. On average we are getting three eggs a day out of eleven hens. One of the hens is still broody and if she does not buck her ideas up soon she will have to go. I am sure that many  of them are molting as there are lots of feathers about. So far this year they have produced some 2096 eggs. 
   Hopefully by the time I write my next blog I will be fully recovered and hard at it in the garden and trying to catch up with all the work I have that has not been done over the last three weeks. 

Nothing done!

   It has been a bad week. I have gone down with bronchitis and it has knocked me for six! As I write this I am getting better but energy levels are low. Of course, sod's law dictates! The weather has been good enough to get things done over the last week and now that I feel that I can get on with something it rains! The rain is welcome but it is so frustrating! Looking at my gardening log over the last week there is only one entry for the 21/9/15 - Picked tomatoes and peas. 
   What is going on then? In the poly tunnel most things are now gone over and there is a few autumn/early winter crops growing quite well. I have missed out due to being sick! In the outside garden the leeks and winter cabbage are well established and growing well. I managed to get them in before falling ill. What is left of the celeriac looks good and the pumpkins are fantastic. The french beans are coming to an end. Who knows if they will do anything but there are some carrots. Might get a few small ones, you never know! The tomatoes are entering their final stages but as long as it stays mild I ought to get a few more. Chilli's are looking good and many are going red. What do you do with lots of chilli's! Lol! Aubergines have done well. So far I have managed to crop (poly tunnel included) some thirty one kilos of mixed variety tomatoes. It could have been so much more. The apple crop is looking good. Certainly there are plenty of wind falls. Hopefully I will be able to get some picked before they all fall off.
   It will be a few more days before I am back in the saddle properly. I have lost some three weeks at least and it will be hard to catch up.

Yes it rained!

  Soon as I write that is has not rained for a while, it rains. The rain is welcome and will perk up the winter vegetables I have no doubt. Still need more though.

RAIN!

   Autumn jobs are piling up. I have been unwell this last week and continue to be so. I am desperate to get outside and get on with these jobs. Along side outside jobs I need to make pickled onions and process some tomatoes and help to deal with the remaining meat chickens. Must get better soon!
   The melons have now come to an end as are the cucumbers and tomatoes. I need to clear them from the poly tunnel and plant some Christmas potatoes. It is getting a little late for those but hey ho I will give it a go.
   In the outside garden the winter vegetables (cabbage, cauliflowers,leeks) are well established. Who know if the swede will do anything. Carrots are not good despite sowing four rows over the summer. Hopefully I will get some small ones at least. Squash, melons and pumpkins are also starting to come to an end. The dip in the temperature switched their growing clock I fear.  I have some good examples of Hundredweight pumpkins this year. The celeriac continue to be attacked by little burrowing critters and I think I will be lucky to get two or three. They looked so good and I have spent a reasonable amount of effort watering them! The remaining tomatoes are struggling to ripen and it will not be long before I pick those that are turning and put them in the poly tunnel to hopefully ripen.
   In the poly tunnel the cucumber plants are now finished and need removing. The sweet pepper results will depend on how long the weather stays warm. I have had a few but the orange and chocolate ones have not liked the heat at all. Cauliflowers and the latest transplanting of lettuce is now established and they have welcome the cooler conditions. The basil is looking long in the tooth and it will not be long before it comes out. Nigel's Green chili continues to do well.
   On the animal front the sheep are fine but the grass is a little thin to say the least. The geese are getting fat despite lack of grass and I have introduced wheat in buckets of water to supplement their diet.  Still have three "meat" chickens, all hens, all looking good and happy to be without their male counterparts! It is the time of year for egg hens to be fussy. I have one hen that insists that its wants to hatch out an egg. Another is in moult and I suspect several others are too. Currently getting fiver or six a day out of eleven but if you take out the two moulting hens and the broody one I guess that is not too bad.
   I am looking forward to being well enough to get on with the garden. I have lost a week so far and likely to loose a couple more days. With the recent rain I should be able to get the garlic in. The bed is all but ready just to rake and plant.