Tuesday 27 September 2016

Second cropping

On Sunday I wrote about "Winding down" in a very end-of-year tone. However, looking around the garden I have realised that the growing season is definitely not yet over.


In one corner of the garden I have all the pots in which I earlier grew my potatoes. As the potatoes were used up, I planted each of the pots with a second crop of some description. Some of these will probably not mature before the frosts kill them off, but others just might. These Dwarf French Beans are just setting pods, and another couple of weeks without frost might allow those pods to reach a useable state.






These Leeks are hardy enough to survive the Winter, but they are growing ever so slowly. Maybe the potatoes used up all the nutrients in their pot of soil / compost?



This Brokali plant is doing OK (without any competition, you'll note).




I did have two more Brokali plants, but one succumbed to the Cabbage Root Fly, and the other has been dug up by the nocturnal animals more than once. Each time I replant it, it looks OK for a while but then the blessed creatures dig it up again! It is therefore still tiny.


The sticks are a vain attempt to deter the diggers!


Less promising are these "Cylindra" Beetroot. They never really got going. Sown too late, even for a second crop, I think.



The "Chantenay" Carrots have some lovely foliage, but I don't think they are going to produce any roots. I am guilty of failing to thin them too!




Next to the ex-potato pots I have that second-hand wicker basket I bought the other day. It plays host to some Parsley. Not enough Parsley though. I sowed loads of seeds but only a few germinated.




While we're talking pots, here's a last chance to see the Cucamelon plants in their pot. They have finished cropping now, and they will be composted very soon.




By the way, I gave Lara and Holly (2 of our granddaughters) all of the remaining Cucamelon fruits. They loved them!

5 comments:

  1. People are often surprised by how deep into the fall we can continue harvesting, even with our colder weather around here - they think that once summer is over, so is the harvest (how wrong they are)!

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    1. That's true. A lot of our best fruit (especially apples and pears) comes in October - and then of course there are the squashes and pumpkins...

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  2. Great job on the frenhc beans - when did you put that lot of seed in? I'll have to do the same next year, it's worth the risk I think!

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    1. Kev, I sowed those beans on 3rd August. Definitely worth a try at that stage. A lot depends on the weather.

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  3. It's always good to plant some things lat as you never know do you? If it doesn't work you lost nothing.

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