October arrives on the allotment – unusually mild!

Another, lovely sunny day at Bridgend Caley – it’s gone from feeling very autumnal a few days ago to an Indian summer today. Our thermals lie in wait!!!  With such mild temperatures the weeds continue to thrive, and the apple trees just keep giving.  The apple trees still producing wonderful fruit, it certainly seems to have been a particularly good year for them.

The Michaelmas daisies provided a beautiful sight, standing tall and displaying their lovely vibrant colour.

We set into battle against the weeds, making progress on the beds & paths – a particularly difficult task against the pesky couch grass along the peripheral border, but nothing beats a determined volunteer!

The soft fruits were tied in, now looking even more neat and tidy. The apples were checked again for any spoilt ones and the offending fruit removed. The grass paths were in need of a haircut and mowed with gusto!

This is a good time to sow green manure, today we sowed winter tares – this acts as an overwintering cover crop which fixes nitrogen, smothers weeds (fingers crossed) and protects bare soil from heavy winter rain and erosion. We will chop it back in the spring and dig it into the soil which should increase the humus content and improve overall soil structure.

Another week of harvesting – green beans, the beautiful deep purple Teepee beans, French beans, our first butternut squash of the season, baby beetroots, some parsnips and a couple of greyhound cabbages, not to mention some more apples.

Jobs for next week: Tidy the shed – Sharpen the tools – More weeding of paths and beds