Autumn digging

After a dreary cold week with showers today dawned misty, warm and later sunny. 17C at 4.30 pm. So we could not miss out such good weather and accelerated veg bed clearing and digging. This area was dug over, weeded thoroughly (couch grass roots!), rotovated, raked and 3 rows of autumn planting onions and two rows of garlic accompanied by a row of Sweet Williams for cutting flowers in the spring put in.

We work as a team on these tasks except I have to go and get the tea and biscuits!

We moved down the veg bed to the terrible weedy potatoes which desperately need digging up. We did part of one row which gave us one third of a sack for storage and about 10 lbs of red potatoes (Desiree) to use now. The box ones had a lot of holes (wire worm) and damage.

These spring cabbages are really coming on in their protected wigwam. But the flush of new weeds are a nuisance and I had to lift the net and hand hoe round them to keep it in check.

Yesterday I spent some time keeping warm in the poly tunnel where I gut off leaves and sprouts and really stripped back the tomato plants.  I harvested about 10lbs for making soup and puree for the freezer.  The sun today and warmth should bring the remaining ones on a bit more.

Meanwhile down in the flower garden, despite the lower temperatures which have finished off the petunias etc the two fuchsia bushed have suddenly doubled in size and put out loads of flowers.

Hope you are having some lovely days too.