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The September Garden Hca_button


The September Garden

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The September Garden Empty The September Garden

Post by Chilli-head 7th September 2020, 5:11 pm

Oh my, we never had an August garden.  Well, it has rather been the story of 2020 - bit of a non-event !

We are in to September now, and lots of stuff is still doing well.  I cleared a bed which had had a row of peas; there's always enough left which escaped detection to make next year's seed.  The other side of the bed had the remains of the new potatoes that I've also dug before the slugs get to them too much.  The clear patch can now do for overwintered onions and garlic.  Won't be long to planting time.

Outdoor tomatoes are showing first signs of blight; rain drop shaped soft dark splodges on the fruit.  Time to pick what I can.  Lots of very hot chillies ripe too - must find time to make hot sauce.


Last edited by Chilli-head on 1st October 2020, 1:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by Dandelion 7th September 2020, 10:44 pm

I'm keeping my eye on the tomatoes for blight here - there's one plant in particular which is looking a bit suspect which I might dig up, but on the whole I haven't seen any signs. There is a tomato plant which seeded itself in one of the raised beds - I let it grow out of interest to see what the fruits are like, and it would be nice to be able to taste them before any blight gets them. I have been blight-free for a few years now which I'm thankful for - I don't know if it has anything to do with being in the foothills of the Malverns, so maybe fresher winds?
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by freebird 8th September 2020, 7:44 pm

My tomatoes are in a very sorry state. The current greenhouse is too shaded, and having nothing else, the tomatoes were planted in a growbag compost/garden soil mix. The growbag compost, where I have used it alone, has proved to be hopeless - doesn't drain at all. The garden soil is devoid of nutrients, stony and pretty acid (ph 5.5). Despite feeding the plants more than I have ever done, with tomato food, liquid seaweed and wormery liquid, they are all now almost dead - purple or yellowing leaves, and all are long and leggy from stretching up to the light. Yield per plant has been dismal. We have had sufficient, but only because I have so many plants.

What I have done is to pull off a couple of side shoots from each variety. They are currently in water, in the hope they will make roots. If they do, I will pot them up and try to keep them over the winter in the unheated conservatory. If they survive, I am expecting they will be too leggy to make successful plants, but will try for some more cuttings to start a few plants off really early in the season.

In the meantime, I am trying to make as much compost as possible, for next year's plants.
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Post by Dandelion 11th September 2020, 6:25 pm

It's a real learning curve, moving to another house and garden. But you don't sound dispirited...
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by freebird 13th September 2020, 9:45 am

Thank you Dandelion - no, I'm not dispirited. I expected failures, and have had some wonderful unexpected successes - though they are from the allotment. My onions are huge - typically 1.25lb each! Masses of runner beans. Beautiful raspberries and strawberries from the fruit cage at home.

My biggest potential disappointment is recently discovering that it is considered a waste of time trying to grow fruit trees at 800 feet +. We are at 798! Had I known that when we were viewing, it could have made the difference between buying the house or not. But they are in the ground now, so I will just have to give them the best protection (mainly from wind) that I can.

Never say never ....
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by FloBear 13th September 2020, 2:29 pm

Maybe if your fruit trees only grow 2' high, they'll be fine as they won't have exceeded 800 feet Laughing
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by freebird 13th September 2020, 3:37 pm

Actually, two of them are step-overs, Flo, so will be about 2 feet high. As we are surrounded by a 6 foot high hedge, I'm hoping those at least may be productive.
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by Ploshkin 13th September 2020, 9:10 pm

My garden is about 650'. Fruit trees don't do well here but I put that down to excessive rain and lack of sun. Victoria plums do well in some years.
I moved an apple tree this year. The most fruit I have had in a year is 5 apples. Its gone higher than the garden (probably about 725') but gets much more sun.

My tomatoes in the polytunnel haven't done well this year Freebird, apart from Sungold. I think the early, very hot spell has confused some plants and made them behave oddly.

I've got a good crop of runner beans in the garden and the autumn raspberries are huge and very plentiful, the potatoes left in the ground are seriously slugged and the brassicas, which usually grow well here, are distinctly underwhelming.
The thing thats growing best is the weeds!
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by Chilli-head 14th September 2020, 8:25 am

I have the opposite problem- it is getting so hot and dry that soft fruit isn't all that happy.

I doubt trees have an accurate enough altimeter to know they are 2' too high, so the use of shelter or ideally a south facing wall might put you in with a chance.
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Post by freebird 14th September 2020, 2:20 pm

Yes, quite, CH. Wind shelter is my only option. I do have a bit of a dilemma though. The pear tress are planted as high as I could get them, for maximum sun. However, the new greenhouse, and then the fruit cage block the prevailing winds to some extent, but the trees are exposed at the back to cold Easterlies/ North Easterlies. I could take them up and move them down the slope a bit, where they would benefit from the bungalow blocking the coldest winds (E/NE), but would no longer have protection from the prevailing S Westerlies.

Taken a pic to show you what I mean. The trees are upright cordons, just discernable against the hedge. I had intended to fill that area from the current trees down to the rhubarb with more fruit trees, but am rethinking that now. Might still do it, if I choose carefully.

The September Garden 20200910
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by Chilli-head 14th September 2020, 4:48 pm

It's always worth a nosey what neighbours have succeeded with.  

I went with the theory of buying local varieties - Laxtons from Bedford and ones bred at Wrest Park where I work. The apl9les haven't yet been a roaring success,  but it seems to have been the year for pears this year.  Was at Dad's yesterday, and his trees are weighed down with pears. Not quite ready in Yorkshire though.
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The September Garden Empty Re: The September Garden

Post by Dandelion 14th September 2020, 9:59 pm

That's interesting about the pears being good this year - I actually had eight edible pears from my tiny tree this year, which is a massive increase from previous years!! I'm quite pleased that I did only have eight pears as they ripened all at once, and I'm the only one who likes them. Presumably people who have a heavy cropping pear tree either given them away or freeze them to cook with/make preserves?
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