Autumn has now set in, so plenty work to do...

It's frustrating that as soon as I go back to work at the start of September everything else just seems to be put on the back burner. Work exhausts me so by the time I get home on an evening I just want to sleep! 

Little bits have been happening at the allotment over the last few weeks, though not as much as I would have liked. 

I had a lovely brown and red onion harvest earlier in September. They're all sitting at home drying out to store- had the first one last night with our dinner and it was delicious. I'm just trying to think of a sensible way to store them when I've dried their skins out. 

My Sarah Raven order came in the post the other day too- so I've now got plenty tulip, alium and crocus bulbs waiting to go in!

This was my rather pathetic little greenhouse harvest the other day. The tomatoes have been an absolute disaster. There are still a few ripening on the plants at the moment but it really hasn't been worth it. They were given to me by an allotment neighbour at the beginning of summer, so might be more selective next year and grow my own. 

The cucumbers have been a success all summer though so can't complain there!

Last night my husband and I spent a fair bit of time on the allotment. After an insanely busy week at work I initially couldn't be bothered, but when we got there I really enjoyed it. It was a lovely evening, frogs were constantly appearing and I had to refill all the bird feeders- they've clearly been spotted now!! The mealworms are a clear favourite!

My husband began pulling back the tarp on the right hand side of the allotment- I wanted to get started on that sooner rather than later - basically before all the frogs move in to hibernate! Though as we started to lift it back there were already 3 frogs warming themselves at the edge. 

I had fun taking all the dead leaves from the bottom of the brussel sprout plants and collecting a few of the bottom sprouts to test those out.

I had heard mixed things- some people saying wait until the first frost, some saying it makes no difference. So I've taken this pile and I've just popped them straight into the freezer so I guess that will have to do! Will probably try and test them out on Sunday dinner this week. 

Next job is to keep working on the tarp area of the allotment, clearing that back and then starting to make raised beds over the Autumn/winter.

I also need to get some compost and gravel so I can sow my crocus and alium bulbs. The tulip bulbs will need to wait until the frost starts to plant though. 

I also need to start making my way around the pond pulling out the dandelion leaves and other weed like plants I don't want around there. Then I will be cutting it all back a bit waiting for the spring time when I can scatter new wildflower seeds and let Spring do it's job! 

Sunday morning pottering...

It's been raining a lot. But it's actually been perfectly timed! After we lay the turf at the back of the allotment last week I was worried that it would dry out and wouldn't take- not just a waste of money but a waste of time too. 

 Though so far,  I've been pleasantly surprised. The timing was spot on as it's rained a lot since we put it down. We haven't had to water it at all.

 The problem with turf is it dries out very quickly, so the soil always needs to remain damp so the roots stay alive and can bed into your own soil. The first 2 weeks is crucial for getting your turf to settle.

If you haven't been lucky enough to get plenty rain, you need to make sure it's watered really frequently. And not just the top, but it needs to soak through to the soil underneath. If your grass starts to dry out before it's bedded in, it's really hard to get it back. Granted turf is fairly cheap- but you don't want to be laying it over and over again.

This morning the rain paused for a gory while, though it was a bit drizzly it was still warm. So I stuck my waterproof on and headed along. Glad I did! It was lovely. Really quiet (thanks to the drizzle) but it certainly didn't stop the bees from their busy morning. Plenty insects buzzing about and my usual froggies sitting with their heads poking out in the pond. 

I noticed how pretty the flowers were looking on the shed. I bought when I last went to Stanton Hall- about a month ago now? And they just keep looking better and better. Perfect for a window box! The violas are looking super as well!

Don't really want to pick them as I know the bees and hoverflies seem to be quite happy they're there!

I also noticed butternut squash have started to appear! I'm doing a little experiment, and while they've been grown from seed all in exactly the same conditions, I've put 2 in large pots outside by the shed- and I've put 3 in the ground. The soil in the pots was a fresh multipurpose compost with feed, whereas the soil in the ground is just the allotments clay soil, I've just added some straw around the plants in the ground so they're not sitting directly on the soil, and to prevent weeds growing so close to the plants. So far while the squash have just started to develop on the ones in the pots, there's actually a lot more flowers on the ones in the ground. Just not sure I it's all a bit too late in the year! I'm just hoping for a warm sunny September! You never know! 

It's also safe to say the Brussels sprouts are doing well. I've done literally nothing with these. From when they were put in the ground I've simply watered them when it's been quite dry (quite a heavy water right at the base of the plant) otherwise I've just left them. Don't think I've watered them for a good month or so now as we've had plenty of rain. While some of the leaves have been minced presumably by snails (there aren't many slugs on the allotment thanks to all the frogs!) there are still plenty leaves- and of a considerable size to keep the plant alive as happy. So fingers crossed for home grown sprouts for Christmas dinner this year! If they're a success I'll grow them again next year- though maybe not quite as many! 

One last little pond photo- I feel like I need to keep taking photos of it because not only do I think it looks beautiful (I may be a little biased!) but I also find every time I go it looks different! There's always new flowers popping up- particularly poppies, which I love! And it's a good job too- there seems to be a lot of poppies on my plot, they randomly keep popping up in vegetable beds between the onions and in the middle of the path. I never pull them out- they genuinely make me smile when I see them- they're such hardy things despite their really delicate petals- and the bees absolutely love them too!

All in all, a pleasant Sunday morning!