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

Annie's Little Plot

Annie's Little Plot

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Making the most of the light nights

The nights are definitely drawing in. I'm avidly following the weather forecast at the moment (which seems to be nice one day then raining the next) for nice evenings for me to go up to the allotment. Tonight was perfect. I left work on time, quick tea and then up there as soon as I could. I went round the back of the allotments which is a bit of an overgrown path which dog walkers use. It leads to an area which contains a communal orchard. I had a walk round there but there are hardly any fruit on the trees. Is this another victim of the poor weather, the cool spring meaning less bees around to pollinate the flowers. I've got an old apple tree in my garden and this has quite a few fruit on but they don't look very healthy this year. Anyway I digress, on this path there are some fences covered in brambles and as I showed in the post last week, the blackberries are ripening already.
I disturbed a flock of sparrows on my way round who've also found this treasure and though I don't want to deprive the sparrows some fruit I'm sure there is enough for all.
So first batch of jam making ingredients, will pick a couple of more batches, there is plenty of fruit on them waiting to ripen. Its handy finding my own patch.
However my friend gave me a 'cultivated' blackberry bush, not sure of the variety, which she had grown in a pot in her garden which wasn't doing too well so I've planted it at my allotment and its taken off. I need to get some wires on the fence and properly train it. But I've got quite a few flowers and small developing fruit. The flowers are quite pretty.

Had a good weed up at the plot tonight, I've definitely been more on top of the weeds this year but it is never ending. Good job I find weeding therapeutic! I've cleared one bed tonight (my failed roots bed) and I'm going to give green manure a go, I bought some seeds at the Tatton Park Flower show.  Will post on that when I get going with the sowing.
Whilst going round my plot tonight I noticed I've got a healthy crop of mushrooms growing in some places. Should I be worried or is this just expected as the bark chippings start to rot down? Should I do anything or just leave them be? Any suggestions?


6 comments:

  1. Hi Annie,I wouldn't worry about the mushrooms, I get them on my bark chippings too.

    I'm not liking the nights getting darker. I went swimming tonight and it was dark when we set off. I'm envious of your blackberries. I really want to make crumble with my own apples and blackberries. The apples are ready, the blackberries not. I've got a cultivated one too with fruit on it but not yet ripe and the ones in the hedgerows aren't ripe either. May have a look in the woods this weekend to see if I can find some there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The nights are certainly drawing in now as you say and lets hope the weather is better next season. Nice Blackberries, not many about in my neck of the woods. Unusual for Somerset. In fact I've just cut back the brambles growing at the bottom of my plot this week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with Rooko - not many ripe blackberries round here either - this years weather has really messed everything up.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not only are the nights drawing in but tonight the temperature here looks like dipping into single figures centigrade!
    I've been picking ripe blackberries for a couple of weeks now. As Welly' says don't worry about the mushrooms. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. It was very cold last night here, it can't be going into autumn yet we've not had our summer. Though its a gorgeous morning here with clear blue sky. Shame I can't get to my plot today though maybe later.
    Think I've been lucky to find a good patch of blackberries then they did seem early to me too. Thanks for the advice on the mushrooms I guess that is the slight problem with bark chippings.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It must be most delightful to be able pick quite a handful of wild blackberries. Are they similiar to raspberries?

    ReplyDelete