We went to the allotment in shifts yesterday, because somebody had to stay home with Sam at all times. He's still spotty with chickenpox, but he doesn't feel ill and is enjoying his week off school.Ed went first and dug up loads of weeds. Then I went and raked the soil and planted garlic and onion sets.
I also picked the last of the summer squash. I expect more frost at some point, so we need to get all the crops in quickly before that happens. I also picked our sweetcorn. My word, home-grown sweetcorn is delicious. It's not just sweet, it's actually sugary. You can't imagine if you've never had it. The stuff from the shops bears no comparison.
We'll certainly plant that again next year. But for now we're planting onions and winter cabbage, and in a month or so we'll put some broad beans in. What else can you plant at this time of year? Some kind of green manure, perhaps?
4 comments:
Thats a whopping great pumpkin, are you going to save it for Halloween?
It is a whopper but it won't keep until Hallowe'en like a pumpkin would. Pumpkins are winter squash - they have a tough skin and keep well (last year I kep one for about 3 months on top of the fridge). This is a summer squash and will go mouldy quite quickly. We're just eating it as fast as we can.
I'm not sure how much of a difference being on another continant makes... but I think Northern Ohio has a similar weather system to yours (at least according to my Irish gran and my Brittish grandpa) and I've had quite a bit of luck with broccoli, Bok Choy (the frost makes the Bok Choy sweeter for some reason), and even growing root veggies. Carrots and parsnips, well covered in hay get pulled out of my parents garden all winter long. I'll also be putting in my garlic in long rows in our yard this week. There is no way to grow enough this winter for all our yearly consumption... (enough to terrify a family of vampires) but it will make a start!
You could get your garlic and shallots in now, Mel. There's an autumn-sowing nantes fastcrop carrot - it'll be ready in May - and if you have a cloche you could think about pak choi, mizuna, winter lettuce, and the splendid mooli.
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