September is already coming to an end. It’s been a great month for us in the garden and at the allotment. We’ve had some exciting harvests and we’ve been enjoying the changing of the seasons. The month started with weather cloudier than we had experienced in August. It was still warm, but there wasn’t as much sun, and the days were getting noticeably shorter.
We had a fair bit of rain in the first week or so, which prompted another surge in courgette production. But it did give us cause for concern regarding our drying Martock field beans and Boddington’s soup peas. Both were drying nicely in the late summer sun until the rain soaked them and a few pods tore. But the losses were small as most of the pods were already very dry.
A batch of dried Martock field beans ready for shelling.
After a few rain-free days we harvested these dried legumes and spent an evening shelling them. We then left them on trays around the house out of reach of little fingers to make sure they were completely dry for storage. We are now looking forward to using them over the winter when our fresh legume supplies are a distant memory.
Some Martock field beans post shelling – now ready for storage.
As the month progressed it has remained mostly dry and it is still warm during the day, but the nights are drawing in and there’s a definite chill in the air first thing in the morning. The warm weather and shorter days has meant that it’s been a bit of a race against the sun to get the watering done of an evening. Both Liz and I love this time of year though. Autumn is probably my favourite season (it’s certainly in my top four!) We’ve seen a shift in the harvest, the runner beans are getting fewer and we’re moving into winter squash season.
In fact it’s already started. There has been a fairly decent sized pumpkin ripening on the allotment for several weeks now. Last weekend it was finally really. I was so excited to bring it home, it was the biggest pumpkin we have ever grown. That said, it’s the first time we’ve grown anything other than dwarf varieties. It weighed in at a respectable 4.45kg (9lb 13oz). I had a big smile on my face all the way back from the allotment carrying that pumpkin. I passed a few people walking in the opposite direction who couldn’t have missed this huge orange fruit I was carrying. But none stopped me to ask about it. Why would they? I almost wished they would though, I was so proud of it.
An early autumn treat – the biggest pumpkin we have ever grown.
It’s funny to think we’ve only had the allotment for three months and in that little time it’s provided us with some tomatoes, patty pans, asparagus peas, many courgettes and this enormous pumpkin. Although this plant was already germinated in a pot when we got the allotment, there was no sign of any flowers until we planted it out. It really is remarkable to think in that short time this fruit has grown. This is the only fruit the plant has produced, and it looks like it’s reached the end of its productivity. But we’re very happy with what that plant yielded. We’re now looking forward to making a hearty stew out of it to warm us up on one of these autumnal evenings.
September squashes – a pumpkin and a patty pan.
We have now lifted almost all of our potatoes. The only ones remaining are those that I transplanted at the allotment, which haven’t yet shown any signs of dying back. The potatoes from the bed formerly known as the pumpkin patch in our garden have all been lifted and consumed. The rest of this bed is still in full production. The quinoa appears to have set seed despite only being about 15 inches tall and really doesn’t look happy. The leeks are thickening nicely and look very healthy. The oca are still going strong too, as are the celeriacs. The whole little bed is looking very neat and tidy.
The same can’t be said of the larger vegetable patch at the end of the garden, one half of which is a combination of spaces were legumes were drying and sprawling squash and tomato plants! The other half is looking much tidier though, with some healthy looking brassicas and leeks growing in a much more orderly fashion.
At the allotment I accidentally pulled up a carrot when I was weeding and I’m pleased to report there were no signs of carrot fly. The netting appears to be doing its job and the carrots are looking very healthy. The celeriacs are starting to fill out a bit, as are the leeks and beetroot. The tomato plants that are at the allotment haven’t been producing very well. I suppose we did plant them out very late as we didn’t get the allotment until the end of June. We did plant one galina tomato plant at the allotment, which is producing well despite being planted out late. There’s a reason we grow that variety every year!
Always a reliable cropper – galina tomatoes at the allotment.
Well that just about concludes September’s growing report. It’s been a really enjoyable month of growing, preparing and harvesting our crops. Next month we are particularly looking forward to harvesting some squashes and saving seeds for next year’s sowing. Be sure to check back soon for more updates.