The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. Gertrude Jekyll

Annie's Little Plot

Annie's Little Plot

Monday 5 September 2016

Slowly getting back to things

Thanks to you all for the lovely comments on my last post, still get emotional reading it and I miss my mum so much. But its a bit like how I felt after my dad died, when you lose someone it makes you cherish your own life and want to make the most of every day. Autumn is starting to creep up on us, the nights are drawing in slowly and its darker in the mornings, its a bit cooler in the evenings and there is a lovely light to the days. Some people get sad about autumn and the slow march into winter, but there is something about autumn that also feels positive, there is the abundance of crops the feeling of harvest festival time. I love the colours, the rich reds and yellows of sunflowers, rudbeckias and eupatoriums, the purple heather on the moors, the black shine of the blackberries and the spiky punks of my plot, the globe artichokes. As ever are covered in bees.
There is the planning ahead to next season with all the bulb planting and some seed sowing. I've already started thinking about where things are going to go on my plot next year. Sometimes spring can get a bit frenetic and I prefer the calmer time of autumn.
I can't say my allotment has been a huge success this year, I've just not had the time to dedicate to it like I usually do and it really makes you realise how quickly you can lose control of planting, harvesting and weeding. For the first time ever it became a bit of a chore and got me a bit stressed at not being able to get on top of things but then I just thought, let it go for a year, it won't come to any harm and do a bit at a time, its not the end of the world if your sweet peas go to seed, if the slugs eat all your celeriac or if you have a few weeds. Then I just popped up there when I could to get some fresh air and away from it all.

My cut flower patch has been reasonably productive but there have been some failures, only one sunflower survived the slug onslaught this year. One of my allotment neighbours said how much she missed the sunflowers that I usually have on my plot. The Ammi visnaga which was such a great success and not touched by the slugs at all last year was ravaged by them this year. I managed to rescue a couple of plants. The Zinnia have been disappointing. There have been some failures I think as I wasn't able to water as often as I'd have like too. A few things flopped too early on and never really recovered. My sweet peas were fantastic and started flowering early but then I just couldn't keep on top of them and so they started setting seed and that was the end of them. Actually I've done quite well for collecting seed, one up side for not being able to pick as often as I'd have like! There were some successes though with some lovely Scabious. I'm starting to get a real feel for the good old stalwarts of the cut flower patch, the reliable plants whatever the season can throw at them. I'm starting to assess what I've grown and thinking about whether they get added to my list this year!
On the veg side of things, I managed a good crop of onions and potatoes, I'd completely forgotten that I'd planted 'Arran Victory' a vibrant purple skinned potato, so that was a surprise when I came to dig them up! A good spud for mash. Courgettes have been a disaster, the plants grew well but the slugs just kept eating the flowers and so hardly any crops off those. I planted all my celeriac and celery and when I next returned to the plot the bed was completely bare, not a single plant. So frustrating for a crop that you start so early and cosset through. Yes slugs have been a big problem for me, I just haven't been able to really stamp them out this year. The rain we had early on was perfect conditions for them, not weeding as much also means more slugs I think too. I've also realised that I've created lovely slug and snail hotels on my plot. Most of my veg beds are divided by rows of chives and I think this is where the critters go to shelter in the day. I've got rid of a load when I've cut back the chives hard recently. May need to rethink that, but I do love them, they are a good early flower for bees on my plot. I've managed to salvage a few things more recently, I have some crops growing for winter, I've some good parsnip plants, some leeks and have got some sprouts and greens for later.
Another negative aspect to this summer has been a thief on our site, we have had our communal shed broken into and the shop money stolen. But more frustrating for some people we have a thief who is going round the plots and pinching crops. Just a few bits of things, some peas, some courgettes, onions, potatoes and a whole cucumber plant. I didn't think I'd been affected but with only having a couple of squash on my plants this year, I couldn't fail to notice when one went missing. Its almost as if someone is selecting stuff to have for his (or her) tea!! It just causes a bit of bad feeling as its likely someone on the site.
On a more positive note, I'm pleased to announce I have some lodgers on my plot now, some residents in my bug house.
Anyway, just a quick update on my plot, I'm doing a bit of clearing and reorganisation of things this year. Planning on even more flowers for next year! 
I've made a couple of garden visits recently which I'll try and blog about soon, a return visit to one of my favourite gardens and nurseries, Dove Cottage in Halifax, always a delight to see the everchanging plant combinations that they try out each year. Then last week I made a much anticipated visit to Trentham gardens near Stoke-on-Trent, I've see lots of photos on Twitter of the newly planted meadows there, designed by one of my gardening heros, Nigel Dunnett. Anyway more on that in a later post.
Enjoy your garden xx


11 comments:

  1. It's good to keep busy Annie and also look for the positives though it isn't always easy. Glad your getting down the plot again, I really find it helps cpalm me no matter what situation I'm in. Thinking of you and your family. X

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    1. Thanks Tanya, yes really trying to keep busy and its lovely to be getting to the plot a bit more frequently now. Thanks x

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  2. I've been thinking what I will change regarding my cut flower patch hext year. I've grown a scabious too - a very dark purpke one. Slugs have been a menace this year.

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    1. Yes I've got a lovely almost black scabious too. They are great as a cut flower. Slugs really have been a pain.

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  3. An enjoyable post and lovely pictures. I empathise, and sympathise, with much of what you say.
    Slugs sure have been a problem this year, and our site also has a periodic light-fingered plot-holder.
    Good to see that that you've made a couple of garden visits recently and I look to your posts about them
    Happy plotting. Flighty xx

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    1. Thanks Flighty, yes I look forward to writing about my garden visits

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  4. Sometimes gardening can't be a priority and nature doesn't wait, but you do sound as though you've had some successes on your plot this year. That is frustrating about the slugs, though. I agree with you about loving the fiery reds and golds of autumn and I'd love to see the colour of the moors at this time of year. I'm sorry to hear about the thief. I don't suppose it's easy to rig up a sort of outdoor camera there. But it's good to see some residents in the bug house.

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    1. Yes I have had some successes this year which I'm thankful for. Yes good to see things using the bug house definitely

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  5. It was good hearing that you are getting back to your gardening after the loss of your dear mother. How true, we have to make the most of our lives and take advantage of every day.
    It was interesting to hear of your successes and losses, it's so different each year isn't it? Awful to hear of the thief though, what a sneaky thing to do.....I think I'd set up a wildlife camera, that will certainly catch the perp!!!xxx

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    1. It is so different every year, think thats why I love gardening so much nothing stays the same.

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  6. Your plot is looking good Annie despite your concerns. I've been struggling with my plot too this summer and as with you slugs have had a field day. Probably my worst ever year for courgettes :( What a shame that you have a light-fingered plot holder on the site. Our site has had problems in the past with both insiders and outsiders. However each plot is now contained by eight foot wire mesh which doesn't look attractive but serves a purpose. Looking forward to reading about your planned garden visits both of which are places we hoped to get to this summer but have not been able to do so.

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