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The October garden Hca_button


The October garden

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The October garden Empty The October garden

Post by Chilli-head 1st October 2020, 1:23 pm

Not much is happening in my garden in October.  Although it seemed like it was going to be a really bumper year, with more effort put in because of lockdown, and lots of explosive growth on squashes, tomatoes etc, I don't think my yields are exceptionally higher.

Still some stuff to harvest - tomatoes, chillies, squashes, some drying beans, etc.  The temperature seems to be dropping quickly, so I need to somehow find space in the greenhouse for the citrus, lemon grass, etc.

My mind is turning to seed orders.  Remembering the chaos of spring when all the merchants were inundated with orders, I think it is well to get them in in Autumn this year.


Last edited by Chilli-head on 6th November 2020, 8:31 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post by freebird 1st October 2020, 3:44 pm

Yes I've been thinking the same about seed orders. I thought if I order early, it will give me time to find things that aren't immediately available. I daresay the whole world and his wife will be doing the same though ...
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Post by Dandelion 2nd October 2020, 9:47 pm

...unless some people who had the best of intentions in the spring have decided that veg growing isn't for them! I haven't actually heard any stories about this, but I have heard that some people who decided to keep chickens because eggs were hard to come by during lockdown have abandoned their hens as being too much work.
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Post by freebird 3rd October 2020, 1:10 pm

The rural idyll, Dandelion. People have lovely romantic notions and doesn't seem to occur to them that keeping livestock or growing vegetables successfully takes a good bit of hard work, dedication and a large portion of their spare time.
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Post by Dandelion 3rd October 2020, 10:16 pm

Very true. Maybe now we've had the summer, veg growing will seem less attractive to some people so we can get our seeds without any panic buying this autumn!!


Last edited by Dandelion on 3rd October 2020, 10:16 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : I missed out a vital comma!)
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Post by Chilli-head 24th October 2020, 7:41 pm

I cleared the veg plot today - found a few bonus potatoes - and sowed broad beans. Still need to find time to plant the overwintering onion sets at the lotty. I've bought more than I need; I'll post the left overs to Dad. He's in teir 3 in Sheffield now, so probably could use something to do.
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Post by Dandelion 24th October 2020, 10:24 pm

How is he, CH?
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Post by freebird 25th October 2020, 9:06 am

We're back in lockdown for the next couple of weeks. Weather permitting, I shall use the time to empty my old greenhouse as I have a taker for it. Be glad to see it go - it's a right eyesore and pretty much right opposite the living room window.

Hope your dad is coping ok, CH. The approaching winter combined with the impact of this virus makes it hard to stay positive sometimes.

I still have garlic to plant, but won't be doing onions or broad beans over winter. There is purple sprouting (not currently sprouting), swede, parsnips and leeks on the allotment.

Sadly, I think I may have to give up on the Tutankhamun peas next year. I struggled and struggled to bring them to maturity, as they seemed to be a favourite with the sparrows (above other allotment holders' peas) and their height made them difficult to protect. That same protection then acted against them when storms came, the increased wind resistance felling the whole structure. Kept limping along with them, as my primary aim was to renew my seed stock. We had a couple of meals from them, then I left loads of pods to mature and dry - only here they don't dry! I've been trying to harvest mature pods over the last few weeks. Three quarters are empty, and most of those that do have peas in have started to sprout! Others had done so earlier, then we obviously had a dry spell and the little roots shrivelled inside the pod. One or two pods had actually been forced open by the sprouting peas.

If I do try again, I think they will have to be sown much earlier in the season - they went in the ground at a similar time to the runner beans.
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Post by Dandelion 27th October 2020, 10:42 pm

If you want to have another go, I have plenty of Tut pea seeds here. I sow mine in pots in the greenhouse at the end of February, then plant them out at the beginning of April (or before), and they do seem to avoid the attention of the sparrows (who were a real nuisance this year removing flowers from the runner beans). I don't know if that would be too early where you are though, although they seem to be fairly frost hardy.
I grew borlotti beans, following the timings on the packet, but they were too late and as a result have all gone on the compost heap. The pods didn't fill up, and those that did went mouldy instead of drying nicely.
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Post by Chilli-head 28th October 2020, 1:25 am

Sorry not to reply sooner - but the unfortunate answer to how is Dad is - I dunno.  I couldn't get through to him Saturday (not a reason to panic, many reasons he might not pick up including dodgy hearing).  Since then I haven't been able to speak to him because I'm in Stoke Mandeville after slipping on a horrible slithery field path in the Chilterns.  Just had my ankle screwed back together today. At the rate I'm going, when I finally pass on they will have to call a scrapman, not the undertaker ! Anyway, hopefully my sister has been in touch with Dad in the meantime.

So, although my broad beans went in on Saturday, Mrs C-H will be on garlic and onion planting duty this year, as well as harvesting and lots of other things for the next few weeks while I keep my feet up on Drs orders.


Last edited by Chilli-head on 29th October 2020, 2:26 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : So befuggled I forgot which hospital I was in !)
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Post by freebird 28th October 2020, 9:28 am

Oh dear, CH - hope you're not in too much pain.

Thank you Dandelion. Earlier might be better from a seed collecting point of view, so I might try again. I did manage to collect a little seed, and still have quite a bit of old seed. The sheer size of them does make them difficult to manage though, and that was what caused most of the problems. I have the winter to ponder it, and will probably sow a short variety anyway.
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Post by Dandelion 30th October 2020, 9:39 pm

They are a fairly crazy height for a pea, I must admit.
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Post by Ploshkin 31st October 2020, 10:25 pm

I don't have much success with pea and bean seed saving because it is invariably too wet just when you need them to be drying.
I've got a few things still trickling on in the polytunnel but mostly everything has just about finished. I never sow for overwintering as the aforementioned wet usually rots most of it. Fir the first time ever I will have no home grown sprouts for Christmas dinner - they didn't fail, I just couldn't get any seed or plants at the beginning of lockdown though, if my other brassicas are anything to go on, they may well have been a failure.
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