Last and first picking

Another heavy frost which didn't clear all day. These cabbage leaves are on the compost heap which is in the shade of the hedge. I picked the last of my first cabbages today. I then took down the netting leaving the broccoli to fend for itself, I'll soon see if this was a mistake. The second cabbages are getting bigger but it'll be a while yet before they're worth picking.

The broad beans and garlic don't seem to mind the frigid weather, they're the only bit of new greenery showing in an otherwise mostly clear plot. I also picked the first of the second parsnips, they are all rather small, I might have to buy some for Christmas dinner after all. I also covered the rhubarb plants with a bag of matured manure, maybe a bit late but I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

Frosted

The nasturtiums are over, it's been quite cool for a few nights. About a month later than last year and we haven't had a heavy frost yet in town.

Picked another cabbage and a few more parsnips. Only one big cabbage left now but a whole row of parsnips to go. We finished the last squash this week. Took home more garlic and I still have loads of potatoes.

The broad beans are much bigger than they were this time last year, In fact they were covered in snow this time last year!

Sunny Saturday

Although I went to the plot on Saturday I've only just had the time to put a post up. It was lovely, sunny and warm, nice to be outside but I was in a bit of a rush.

There hasn't been a proper frost yet and so the nasturtiums are still going strong. The dew hadn't yet burnt off the leaves at almost midday. I love they way the leaves turn blueish and the flowers much paler this late in the year.

Here's the double row of broad beans and you can see the garlic to the left of the picture, they're enjoying the mild november we've had so far.

A good four leaves on this bean plant, I think they've grown quicker than last year when it got very cold with snow by the end of the month.

This is a second cabbage, although they're beginning to ball up they still very small really. I picked a first cabbage which means there are now only three left to go.

Despite not having had a frost I wanted to see how the parsnips were doing. Very well as you can see, we ate these last night for dinner and they were very tasty too.

New season starts

The beans I planted a couple of weeks ago have already popped up. It's always exciting when something new begins to grow. I planted two rows of broad beans, one Aqua Dulce and the other Masterpiece Longpod. They have just about all sprouted, I think the Masterpiece have the edge on the Aqua Dulce for the moment. I grew Masterpiece last year and they did very well, they're not supposed to be an autumn planting bean. The Aqua Dulce is a traditional autumn planting bean so it will be really good to compare their growth rates and yields.

The garlic I put in the ground has also begun to sprout, it doesn't look much right now but I'm glad it's got going before the cold sets in. I do keep finding other garlic left over from last season that has begun to sprout as well but if it's in the wrong place I have to pull it up.

The final raspberries, I know they are the last because I had a big tidy up at the top of the plot and cut the canes back down ready for next year. It's all much smarter now. I had a look at the parsnips today, I think they're ready to pull, I didn't pick any this week because we bought some.

Bonfire night special

Hollyhocks in flower isn't what you expect for the 5th of November, but that's what I've got and the nasturtiums are still going strong as well. There isn't really all that much else going on. I have parsnips but won't pick any until after the first frost and I also have cabbages and the purple sprouting broccoli.

Just picked cabbage, the excess leaves go on the compost heap and it's getting a bit whiffy. The ground is quite damp so that was my excuse for not sorting out the rest of the strawberry bed. It seems the raspberries have finally stopped fruiting now. The rhubarb has died back but the artichokes look stronger than ever at the moment, both will need covering when the weather gets colder.

Hallowe'en Garlic

In a bid to keep the vampires away I planted some garlic on the eve of Hallowe'en, a week later than last year according to my archives. I've still got plenty of heads left from this season so I broke four up, dibbed holes and put them in. Couldn't be simpler.

Picked another cabbage and gathered up some spuds but not much else eat at the moment. Cut a few bits of purple broccoli but I expect they're quite woody, not sure I'll bother with them next year.

You don't expect strawberries at the end of October but I had a few that the birds and slugs hadn't got too. I really need to sort the strawberry bed out as it's very weedy with loads of runners and new strawberry plants growing all over it.

And not to be out done there were about a dozen raspberries ripe and ready, they're still sweet and juicy despite the plants dying back.

Bean and gone

It's that time of year again, planting my first broad beans. I've put in two double rows, one Aquadulce and the other Masterpiece longpod. It's great to planting again, in the next couple of weeks I'll put some garlic in as well. Along with planting broad beans it was also time to take down the canes that supported the french beans.

The second cabbages are beginning to ball up now as well, it might be new year before I eat any of them but the first cabbages are ready now so I picked one to take home.

The Artichokes always seem to look good at this time of year. Only a couple of months ago I had cut them back to the ground after they had fruited, now they have lush silver green foliage. They will die down as it gets colder and I'll need to put some compost on them over the winter.

There were still a few raspberries left in the autumn sun and surprisingly sweet they are too. Not enough to take home so I ate them freshly picked.

The last courgette

As you can see the cooler nights have finally finished off my last two courgette plants. If you look carefully there's one courgette left at the top. I picked the courgette and then dg up the plants and cleared the ground around them. I bought a few daffodil bulbs and planted them around the plot number sign, they should look pretty come the spring. It'll be time to start planting beans and garlic soon.

Despite the cold I found a strawberry and a handful of raspberries, but I'm pretty sure they'll be the last of the season as well. I cut back some of the raspberry canes, mainly where they were getting in the way. I picked another cabbage and gathered some potatoes and a squash to take home.

The nasturtiums are still in full bloom, I took a dozen flowers to decorate the cobnut squash soup I made for Sunday lunch. The plants won't last long now, my neighbour told me to pick the seeds and pickle them in white vinegar, 'taste better than capers' he told me before adding that i could pick the seeds on his plants too because he doesn't like them.

Purple sprouting pencils

Into October and I've cleared most of the plot for this year. The compost heap is bursting, that's just one nasturtium plant growing around it.

I don't know what's wrong with my broccoli, it looks very pretty and has only just started to sprout but it's hard and woody, like eating a bunch of pencils.

Meanwhile the cabbages are big and plump, which seems a little early but we ate one last night anyway.

Here's my row of parsnips. I won't pick any until after the first frost, the frost is supposed to make the starch in them turn to sugar therefore making them sweeter. You can see the green courgette plant that I still left in, I might get a few more from it yet. The yellow ones had stopped developing and so I pulled them up and put them on the compost.

And here's the view from the other end. The raspberries plants are turning now, I think I'm supposed to cut them right back once they've stopped producing anymore fruit.

Hot beans

It's unseasonably hot in London. The guy at the neighbouring plot said it was 32ºC and had been hotter on Friday. Most things are over for this year now, still getting green courgettes but despite the heat the yellow ones are giving up the ghost. There were a few french beans left that have now dried out, I going to try and keep the seeds to plant next year.

I've put them in a brown paper bag to store them over winter. I hope this stops them being eaten or going mouldy. I've yet again picked a good half a tub of raspberries, they've done so well this year.

My purple sprouting broccoli has flowered. It looks very pretty but you're supposed to eat it before this stage - oh dear. The first cabbages are doing really well, quite a good size and well balled up this year. The seconds are quite as impressive, I bought some more pegs to keep the netting down and make them bird proof, I hope they recover over the winter.

Jumbo courgettes

Cor what a whopper! A week away and the courgettes will play, came back home to two huge great marrows. I don't know what we will do with them? The green plants have many more courgettes to come as well but the yellow ones are giving up for this year.

I also picked my last patty pan squash. The plants had died back so I pulled them out to find this last squash still hanging on. I pulled out the tomato plants as well picking the last four fruit that hadn't got blight.

This year has seen a super abundance of raspberries, varying in shade from bright red to deep purple.

I picked an ice cream tub full of them and will probably put them in the freezer with the other two tubs I already picked.

The purple sprouting broccoli is beginning to sprout! It looks very pretty, we'll have to try it soon.

My cabbages are getting bigger and are also ready to start eating.

I picked most of the cobnut squash before I went away. There were two more barrel shaped squash growing on one plant when I got back. I pulled the other plant up as it had died back only to find another small squash on it.

It's the season for spiders and snails, hard to tell from the picture but this monster was about two inches across and living behind my watering can.

Raspberry ripple

Last year I only picked about a dozen raspberries over the whole season. I was thinking about taking the canes out, they were something already on the plot when I started. I might change my mind now, not a huge crop but enough with more on the way to make it worth while having them.

Some autumnal strawberries are coming through as well. The plants have also sent out loads of runners with new baby plants on the ends. The strawberry patch will be much bigger next year.

I didn't have anymore french beans to pick and their foliage is turning brown but the plants are also in flower again so i guess there will be more beans yet!

A perfectly shaped cobnut squash, not too large but I picked it as it didn't seem to be getting any bigger. There are about six others growing altogether on the two plants.

This is an example of a plant two cobnut squash, a very different shape. It is a much bigger squash probably weighing over 2Kg.

They're quite pretty wen they are young green and stripy. This baby squash is only about 4cm long.

The undercover cabbages are doing fine but predictably the ones I left uncovered had been attacked by the birds, they really like cabbage. I've made a bit of a makeshift cover for them and I hope it'll do the trick.

I picked a few beetroot along with the usual courgettes and also collected a few more heads of garlic to take home. There's still an abundance of new potatoes before I get to the main crop but the tomatoes seem to have a bit of blight so not so many this week.

Finally the view over plot  68, it's been a good season in all and there's still quite a lot to come through the autumn.