Ending & beginning

It feels very autumnal now, with a cold snap and the clocks going back we've turned the corner toward winter. The plot is mostly clear right now but it's also time to start planting some things for the new year.

The cabbages are at last beginning to ball up, really not sure how well they'll do this year but they will take the worst the winter can throw at them, so I'll just wait and see. The broccoli is looking okay too, it hasn't yet formed any heads though.

New plantings include broad beans (aquadulce) and I've planted some of the cloves from last years garlic. I went to buy new garlic but no one had any, some of the last year cloves aren't that big but I can always plant some more later.

I've still left the final squash in the ground hoping that they will ripen a bit more. It may be in vain? they seem a bit green to me compared to the other ones. The plants themselves have mostly died back, i shall have to clear them soon as well. Ordered some potatoes as well, Desiree and Charlotte as usual. They won't go i the ground until next March.

Squash

The season is coming to an end and it was time to start picking the cobnut squash. After a week of rain the warm low light made it good to be outdoors. The squash vary in size and shape quite a bit, the smallest must weight almost a kilo with the largest over two.

There's about a half dozen more I left growing, 'm sure the larger green one will ripen but the smaller pair might not get any bigger if the weather turns colder. Most of my other time was spent cleaning up the allotment, I took out the courgettes and all the remaining tomatoes.

While tidying I found a couple more green peppers, they won't turn red now so I picked them as well. I uncovered the first cabbages from the cloche, weeded around them and netted them back up. They look rather ragged at the moment but I hope they ball up and grow soon.