September on the Allotment 2012

September work on the Allotment

This last week has been the first prolonged dry sunny spell we have had since... well, March really! It is so delightful to have it now though, a shame for the school children who are back to school as soon as we have our first ‘summer’ weather. Of course, it is autumn. I know when I look out in the morning and the car windscreens are misted up. This doesn’t clear for a few hours when it begins to warm up. When I go to my plot at 8.30 – 9.30 in the morning, it is noticeably cold and I’m starting to consider wearing my fleece. Of course, by 10.00am it is very warm and has been sunny.

It is harvesting time for lots of stuff. I am starting to take my squash and pumpkins home as I see that slugs are eating them [this is the first time I have seen that!] Normally I would have left them on the plants for a few weeks longer to allow them to dry properly before harvesting. I have twenty or more sitting on my patio in the sunshine hardening off though I don’t know how well they will keep when harvested so early. I may not find out as my daughter is already planning a trip home to raid my crop!

My runner beans are close to the end of their harvest. I won’t save the last ones for seed as I was not impressed with my choice of seed this year – Moonlight. I thought I would try something different this year. I found the germination poor, the cropping poor, the flavour and quality of the beans was good and perhaps I can’t blame the poor aspects on the variety but, on the weather – it has been a poor year for beans. My friend swears by Runner Bean -  Lady Di. He says it is a string-less variety and it has cropped well for him. That said, he has worked hard at maintaining a reliable and productive crop with frequent re-sowing and re-planting.

I am still harvesting a couple of varieties of French beans for fresh eating – Purple Tepee, a dwarf variety which has given me nothing like the crop of previous years [but I won’t give up on it] and Blauhilde – a climbing purple French bean. I think I am more-or-less impressed with this variety in this difficult year as the beans have been fairly prolific and up out of the way of the slugs. Perhaps this is the way to go next year. Although beans are known to be somewhat promiscuous, I think I might save the rest of this crop for seed for next year.

Similarly, although I love my Orca beans [Yinyang] black and white French beans for drying for the winter. It is always a problem trying to dry the crop before the slugs move in. This year, my neighbour, Christine, gave me some similar ‘orca/yinyang’ – Jack Edwards – in this case dark red and white though, the difference is that they are climbing. So far the crop is looking good and the pods swelling well. While I hate to abandon my black and white varieties, perhaps Jack Edwards is the way to go.

I have now harvested the last crop of sweetcorn. They have been good this year, in spite of the weather. I have frozen lots and made relish with lots as well as eating the cobs fresh. I will grow the same two varieties next year as they have performed for me in spite of the disappointing summer – F1 Earlibird and F1 Rising Sun.

In my polytunnel I have been cutting out many of the leaf stalks to allow the light to get to the tomatoes and encourage as many as possible to ripen. Of course, this also has the advantage of removing many of the [sometimes huge] green and beige caterpillars. They have not been as destructive as last year but the damage is still there on my fruits. Some of the destroyed fruits have had a resident large green caterpillar curled up inside!

My chillies – Joe’s Long for the most part are now starting to turn red and I am able to use them in the many relishes and chutneys I’m making [I hate having to buy them]. I am also  harvesting the first of the peppers – in this case Corno di Toro Rosso – sown in February in my propagator. The plants have produced heavily and in some cases this has broken branches from the plants. However, the fruits sit for a long time [several weeks] before they start to turn red. Today, I harvested a few and will set them out in the sun. Hopefully, in the next couple of days I will have a few more and can then make a substantial batch of Roasted Pepper and Tomato Chutney – definitely our favourite [apart for homemade tomato ketchup – which is where today’s crop will be used].

Of course, I have started as early as August with my autumn digging. As soon as I have cleared crops I start to turn over the ground for the winter frosts to break down the clods. The difference between autumn and spring dug ground, especially in our heavy clay is remarkable. I only have about four to five days of digging between the ground being too wet when it is raining and too dry when it is not in this really heavy clay ground so, it is important for me to start early. I do know that it will acquire some weeds between now and spring time but, I can cope with that.

I have also put in my first order for seeds – garlic – to be planted in late October to November; sweet pea seed [an absolute must for me each year] are best sown into 3inch pots in  a cold polytunnel or similar [ watch for slugs] in September – October, then planted out in late October/November. You can sow more in early spring if you want to extend your harvest but, I have found those sown in autumn to be the most reliable.

I have also bought my Broad Bead seed for autumn sowing – Aquadulce Claudia – a variety recommended for autumn sowing. With few exceptions, my autumn sown broad beans have been more productive, earlier and healthier [no black fly] than spring sown crops. However, following a couple of very harsh winters where even my fleece didn’t really protect the crop, I have found it expedient to also sow a spring crop. I will chit my Aquadulce Claudia in mid – late October, then pot on into 3 inch pots in my poly tunnel. I will plant out the young beans in November and fleece them. I think I will also add lots of slug pellets to the rows this autumn. These pests have been rather prolific even if some others have been tolerable.

I am concerned that weather forecasters are suggesting that, because of the rise in ocean temperatures and the reduction in the polar icecaps, this is likely to lead to more stormy weather over Europe and another cold wet summer in 1013. But, we have coped with it, cropping has been good, albeit different. My beekeeper friend was telling me this morning that, contrary to media reports, his hives are doing well and he has pretty much tripled his number of hives. So don’t be dismayed by the news and doom-saying. More later!