Life on The Weald - September 2023

 Life on The Weald

and other distractions - September 2023

September - a proliferation of plums

1 September

September marks the beginning of the meteorological autumn.  The 2023-24 storms season also started officially on 1 September which means there is a new set of names agreed in collaboration with the UK Met Office, Ireland's Met Eireann and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.  Together they issued a warning of the coming of Storm Agnes.  Although Agnes is not expected until the end of the month, September began with a stormy Friday with strong winds and very heavy rainfall.

3 September

The heavy rain had all gone by Sunday and, apart from a misty morning, it was a glorious sunny day, but not one that I would be spending at the allotment as I was off to London for the Big Half.  It was like a pleasant summer's day for me but I fear a little too hot for comfort for the runners in the Half Marathon starting at Tower Bridge and finishing at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.

Not only did I get to see the race but took the opportunity to meet up with my granddaughter, Tilly, who had a friend running that day.

Spending time with Tilly aboard the Cutty Sark

It was a rather special occasion as this was the last time that Mo Farah would be running competitively in London (his last professional race would be a few weeks later in the Great North Run).   It was, perhaps, a disappointing result for Mo, the defending champion, as he finished 4th, in 1 hour 2 minutes 43 seconds, 95 seconds behind the winner.  It was, however, still a remarkable run as Mo was not well on the day and probably would not have run had it not been his last race.  He had a great reception from the crowd for whom he has given so much entertainment, excitement and inspiration over the years.

 

Mo comes home fourth!

And in typical Mo fashion, he was soon back on the course, saluting later finishers offering encouragement and a high-five.

Mo cheers on later runners

It was a great day for the legendary David Weir who won the Men's Wheelchair in a a nail-biting finish in 47 minutes 26 seconds, just 1 second ahead of Danny Sidbury and 4 seconds ahead of John Boy Smith.

David Weir wins the Men's Wheelchair

There was a great run for Calli Thackery who won the Elite Women's race in 1 hour 9 minutes and 15 seconds, 3 minutes ahead of Lily Partridge who came 5th.  There was more excitement in the Women's Wheelchair event as Samantha Kinghorn and Eden Rainbow Cooper raced side by side to the finish line with Samantha winning but with the same time on the clock as Eden, 52 minutes 5 seconds!

4-10 September

Following the weekend we had a continued period of very hot weather - on Thursday 7th, the UK record was broken for the number of consecutive days in September reaching 30C. The previous record was 3 days - in 1898, 1906, 1911 and 2016.  7 September was also the hottest day of the year! This was not to be expected in September.

And it didn't stop there! The 4 day record did not last long as there were 7 consecutive days up to 10 September where a temperature above 30C was recorded in the UK.

But before we start celebrating this glorious weather, it is undoubtedly human-induced climate change that causes heatwaves to be more frequent, more intense and last longer.  This is NOT good news for the environment, our eco-systems or future generations.

It is a time of year, however,  to relax a little and enjoy the fruits of our labour.  We have an abundance of squashes and we enjoyed some Patty pan stuffed with ricotta and nuts, accompanied by our freshly lifted new potatoes and French beans,

Roast stuffed Patty pan squash

Squash with potatoes and beans, all from the plot

We also have a proliferate supply of plums!

In the garden at home we had a new visitor - a colourful Jay

A Jay comes to visit

Last month I had cleared the pond of couch grass that had invaded. This month one of our neighbours had divided her Irises and had some to spare which we have now planted in the pond on the plot.  I was pleased to see that the damselflies were still around and when pulling up some couch grass near the pond was pleased to see a large frog.

We are now regularly harvesting squashes, courgettes and cucumbers - and of course, plums!

8 September - Patty pan, cucumbers and courgette

We also have a surplus of apples and, largely based on a  Mary Berry recipe, are making apple cake at least weekly.  The rest of the apples are finding their way into other dishes or joining the plums in the freezer.

9 September - Apple cake

9 September - Apple cake

15 September

Our Fox still makes a regular appearance every day around 6pm.

15 September

15 September

16 September

We had intended to go to London on Sunday to watch the Serpentine Swim but due to algae growth on the days before the swim a number of swimmers had deferred their entry to next year, including those we had been going to support.  We could have taken the opportunity to go to the allotment but instead decided on an alternative day out involving water with a trip to Chichester and a boat-ride on the harbour.  It was another idyllic sunny day. Surely this cannot last.

16 September - Bosham, Chichester

17-20 September

On Monday there was a sudden change in the weather with heavy rain in the afternoon and evening.  On 18 September there were thunderstorms and strong gusty winds with heavy rain in the morning, but followed by a bright sunny afternoon with the temperature in the twenties.  it was shortlived as thunderstorms returned overnight and the following two days were wild, wet and windy.

At home the garlic chives took a bit of a battering; but before the wild winds arrived they had been in full flower, attracting bees.  Not only do they attract bees, they are a useful culinary herb and the flowers are beautiful.

Garlic chives

Garlic chives in full flower

There was good news in the garden.  Some of the later planted Marmande tomatoes had escaped the attention of the snails and were ripening nicely under a watchful eye.

18 September - Marmande tomato

18 September - Marmande tomato

21 September

I was reminded by Facebook what the plot had looked like seven years earlier when we took it on.

Plot 247: 21 September 2016

23 September

This is how it looked today

Plot 247: 23 September 2023

At home our spindle bush produced its first berries.

23 September - Spindle tree (Euonymus)

And on the allotment, I harvested a ripe tromboncino!

23 September - we have tromboncino

24 September

We have more, and bigger tromboncinos to come.  It's often a difficult decision when to harvest them - when they are young and green and can be used as courgettes or ripe and hardening off when they are more akin to a butternut squash?  Luckily we have enough to do both.

Tromboncino

Tromboncino

Perhaps late in the day but we are still harvesting second early potatoes (Nicola & Charlotte)

2nd Early potatoes

Some of our red cabbage had been badly affected by slugs and snails and looked rather nasty on the outside but, after peeling away the outer leaves, there was wholesome cabbage within.  Another use was found for our apples - we added some to the red cabbage, a little cyder vinegar, butter and some caraway seeds - and dined on braised red cabbage - It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

braised red cabbage with apple and caraway

25 September

Who needs a watch?  Its 6pm and who should arrive for dinner?  Our fox is looking a lot better but we are still providing some food - laced with a lot of garlic to deter the mange;  but as winter approaches and the nights draw in we are less likely to be around at dusk so surviving the winter might not be easy.

6pm 25 September

26 September

Our sitting area by the pond had become somewhat overgrown - it was meant to be a grassed area but is just a patch of weeds - so I spent a little time with the strimmer just to temporarily tidy up.

our summer sitting area

One of our raised beds on the western side had become invaded by raspberries so, despite my conversion to "no-dig" gardening, I removed the frame, got out my fork and attempted to dig out some of the invading raspberries.  I relocated the frame to the eastern side near the tromboncinos, where potatoes had been growing this year and will create a new no-dig bed for onions or garlic.  In the old bed there was still a spinach plant which I carefully left whilst digging out raspberry canes.

The old bed at the rear

the re-sited frame at the rear

I have laid cardboard where the potatoes had been growing, ready for covering with a layer of compost/manure for the autumn/winter ready for planting in the spring.

Cardboard laid where the potatoes had grown

27 September

I harvested the Borlotti beans. There were not as many as previous years, but we have only just finished the 2021 crop and haven't even started on 2022 yet!

Borlotti beans

30 September

More distractions as we received a visit from my grandson, Felix and his partner. It was a fine sunny day so we paid a visit to Devil's Dyke. Although it was fine when we set out it soon clouded over and the temperature dropped suddenly. Perhaps this is a taste of things to come next month!

30 September - Fairies Wood

30 September - Devil's Dyke

John Austin

Hove, September 2023

Life on The Weald - October 2022

(in the garden and the kitchen)

Autumn harvest

The weather turned distinctly cooler at the beginning of the month although some days were still above the seasonal average.

Saturday 3 October was a dry, bright autumn day and I continued to clear the pathways around the beds and replenish them with a layer of organic material, mostly woodchip and prunings. I cleared the weeds from the area surrounding the raised beds - including bindweed and couch grass (which is bit like painting the Forth Bridge), and laid down cardboard covered with woodchips.  I prepared two of the beds which had grown squashes and French beans, ready to plant red onion sets, garlic and broad beans. 

Clearing the surrounds of weeds

I am moving to "no dig" with the beds themselves, not only to save labour but it is now generally accepted that digging is not good for the soil structure as it disturbs the balance of soil life, affecting the micro-organisms, fungi and worms that help roots grow.  I did remove some of the weeds by hand, however, for composting before adding a good layer of organic compost.

Adding a layer of organic compost to the bed

On 4 October, I continued preparing beds for onions, garlic and beans. I planted two varieties of red onions - Electric and Winter Red - some French shallots - Jermor - and two varieties of garlic - Germidor (Purple Wight) and Messidrome. Having planted them, I covered them with fleece, mainly to protect them from birds who have a habit of pecking at and uprooting them.  A few Patty pan squashes were still growing at the end of one of the beds which I left in he hope that they might get bigger before neding to be picked, and planted some red winter onions at the other end of the bed.

Red winter onions covered with fleece
-remaining patty pan in foreground

I picked what will probably be the last cucumber of the season.

The last cucumber of 2022?

It was time to harvest most of the squashes - Crown Prince, Butternut and Chioggia as the foliage had died back. If picking for storing it is better to wait until there is no moisture left in the stalk where it joins the squash.

Crown Prince squash

The Marina di Chioggia were a first time for me.  They take their name from Chioggia, a fishing town near Venice which also gives its name to the “candy stripe” beetroot which when cut displays red and white rings.  The squash has a green blistered skin with sweet yellow orange flesh.  The seed packet says it produces fruits up to 5kg.  Mine were a disappointing 1 - 2kg, which is probably due to the summer drought.  The butternut squashes were also much smaller than previous years.

Chioggia  and butternut squashes

Chioggia squash

Autumn planted garlic covered with fleece

I planted the first of the shallots in some spare space where the leeks were growing and covered them with fleece.

Shallots planted among the leeks

We were still harvesting tomatoes from the garden on 5 October and there are lots more to come.  I think we have seen the last of the Marmande, beefsteak variety but the large Santa Mama and the yellow varieties are just ripening and the cherry tomatoes are still producing on a daily basis.

5 October - today's tomato harvest

We also have a good supply of chilli peppers, from the fiery hot habanero and Scotch bonnet to less hot, but still very spicy, Basket of Fire and Cheyenne.

Clockwise from top left
Habanero, Scotch bonnett, Cheyenne, Basket of Fire

Habanero - ready for the freezer

On 9 October I continued to clear weeds from the area around the raised beds and put down a layer of cardboard and also removed weeds by hand-weeding in the beds themselves.

The large bed, partially cleared of weeds

Cardboard laid between the beds

Cardboard covered with woodchips 

I harvested most of the squashes, leaving a few, including several tromboncinos, to mature.

9 October - a squash harvest

On 11 October I lifted my first parsnip just to see how they were doing. It looked reasonable but the flavour will be improved with the arrival of colder weather.

First parsnip of 2022

I had decided to make the large raised bed a "no dig" bed using the Hugel method. (Hügelkultur)  I calculated that I could fit three trenches in the bed so started on the first one. (A lot of initial digging to achieve a "no dig" bed but, hopefully, it will be worth it in the long term.)

1st trench

At the bottom of the trench I laid some logs from a tree that we had cut down last year.

1st trench - burying logs

I covered the logs with half rotted organic matter from one of the compost bins.

1st trench - filling with organic material

I then topped this with fresh green material.

1st trench - green waste

I then managed to dig and fill a second trench.

On 12 October, I made my first sowing of Broad Beans (Aquadulce) in two double rows in one of the vacant beds.  I didn't add any compost or additional nitrogenous material at this stage as broad beans add nitrogen to the soil through the organisms on their roots.  Adding more nitrogen would encourage the beans to produce leaves rather than bean pods.  I did add a layer of organic compost in the middle of the bed between the double rows of broad beans where I planted some more garlic. I then covered the bed with horticultural fleece to protect the garlic from the birds and the beans from squirrels and other rodents.

A double row of garlic between
2 double rows of broad beans

Beans and garlic protected with fleece

We picked some chard and Cavolo nero as well as some nasturtium leaves with which we made some individual Spanokopita pies.  We are familiar with using nasturtium leaves in salads - as they have a taste similar to water cress - but I have not cooked with them before.  One of our neighbours said she uses them instead of spinach so we gave it a try.  It worked fine.

Individual Spanokopita pies

We also made roast stuffed patty pan squash with ricotta and parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. We have a plentiful supply of oregano in the herb bed in our garden.

Stuffed patty pan squash

14 October : Earlier in the year, I had planted some "blue" potatoes in a container at home and decided to see how they were doing.  The skins were purple rather than blue.  Some blue varieties have blue skins with white flesh but this variety has blue flesh as well.

Blue potatoes

Cutting the potatoes in half revealed that the flesh was indeed also coloured.  It was more purple than blue but when cooked was definitely blue.  They were a floury variety and very tasty.

Blue potatoes cut in half

Sunday 16 October was cloudy but dry during the day but followed by heavy rain in the evening.  I started on my third and final trench in the large bed.....

The third trench for my new Hugel bed

....then filled it with logs and managed to retreat before the rain came down.

The beginnings of a no dig Hugel bed

Monday 17 October reached a maximum of 14C. It rained heavily in the early hours, was cloudy but dry during the morning but then quite sunny although cool in the afternoon.

By contrast, Tuesday 18 October was dry, sunny and hot with a high temperature of 18C although it felt much hotter than that in the sunshine.  I completed filling the third trench in the large bed with partly composted material and fresh green material on top of the logs.

I topped all three trenches with torn up egg boxes, which are good for water retention and will eventually rot down.  Sylvi was busy with the wormeries, recovering the worm compost - there were 6 trays of fully composted material,rich in worms, which I used to top the three trenches and then covered the whole bed with the soil that had been removed to create the trenches.

filling the final trench with egg boxes & worm compost

Large bed, trenches filled, topsoil returned

I will now leave the bed over winter and apply another layer of compost in the spring before planting brassicas. In the meantime I will look out some cardboard or tarpaulin to cover it.

I picked the last of the Crown Prince and took it home to store.  The 

squashes were all smaller than last year but at least this one was a reasonable 3.6kg.

18 October - Crown Prince  weighs in at 3.6kg

Wednesday 19 October was cloudy with intermittent clear, sunny, blue skies and a temperature of an unseasonal 19C, although the wind was quite strong.  At home I sowed some broad beans indoors in deep trays for planting out later and as a safeguard in case the rodents get the ones sown outdoors. 

There certainly weren't any blue skies the following day with continuous heavty rain all morning, easing off in the afternoon. Not a day to be out and about, but the rain will be good for the broad beans that I planted, helping them to germinate, and for the onions and garlic to encourage strong roots.  The rain will also be good for the Hugel beds that I have just created. Friday was another rainy day but the morning of Saturday 21 October was bright and clear.

After the heavy rain, the trenches which I had filled on the newly created Hugel bed had sunk considerably and will need topping up with more organic material and/or top soil before the winter sets in.  I took the opportunity of a rain free morning to hand weed the asparagus bed and around the blackcurrants before applying a heavy mulch of wood chips.

The Marmande tomato that I had planted out on the allotment rather late in the season showed no sign of the fruit ripening and the foliage was now dying back.  There were a few huge, green, unripe fruits.  Had they ripened, they would have been magnificent. Sadly slugs, snails and other creatures had also decided they like tomatoes!

21 October Marmande - beefsteak tomato full of promise

21 October - Marmande  disappointment

The following day there was torrential rain most of the day, and overnight there was thunder and lightning which continued into the early hours of the morning. On Monday 24 the heavy rain continued through the morning with strong blustery winds for most of the day, but surprisingly the afternoon was sunny with higher than average temperature of 17C, although it felt much colder due to the continuing high winds.

School half-term brought a visit for a few days of my younger son and family (who are all vegetarian), and a visit later in the week by my daughter and her crew so  the allotment was neglected for a few days.  On the plus side, with a house full, it gave me an opportunity to develop my culinary skills in using the allotment produce.

With a plentiful supply of chard, spanokopita was an obvious choice, but I also stuffed a Chioggia and a Crown Prince squash, one with a ricotta and parmesan based stuffing and the other with vegetables and mixed grains and roasted them whole.  I am pleased they both proved a success.

Whole roast stuffed Crown Prince squash

On Friday 27 October,  I took the grandchildren to Hove Park and for a walk in the woods at Three cornered copse . Unsure about what the weather would bring, I had dressed for a normal autumnal day but the temperature rose to an astonishing, summer-like 21C

With the children and grandchildren gone, I returned to the plot on Saturday 29 October and there had been significant growth during the few days away.  In my planted wheelbarrow, the different mints were in flower and receiving frequent visits by bees, and the basil, tarragon and thyme were looking healthy. 

My wheelbarrow herb garden

The shallots which I had planted next to the leeks had put on significant growth since I removed the fleece earlier in the month.

Shallots among the leeks

And there appeared to be something happening underneath the fleece covering the garlic and onion sets.

signs of growth beneath the fleece

Garlic sprouting

Red winter onions beneath the fleece
(and the last remaining patty pan)

Red winter onions

When I removed the fleece from the broad beans, I was pleased to see that most had germinated and had not been attacked by rodents.  The garlic planted between the double rows appeared to have rooted well and was producing its first leaves.

Garlic between the broad beans

30 October was not a day to be outdoors!  There was persistent heavy rain and gale force winds with a storm threatening.

The last day of the month there was intermittent rain during the day but I managed to pick a few tomatoes from the garden.  We put our carved pumpkin in the front garden and awaited the usual Halloween callers - we had more than 50 in several groups and ran out of treats, despite the intermittent rain.

October ended with a great deal of rain, which was welcome following the summer drought, but it was accompanied by unseasonal high temperatures which has resulted in some trees and shrubs budding or coming into flower in the autumn instead of spring. It has also produced a proliferation of slugs and snails which have attacked our brassicas and chard.  I have even spotted some cabbage white caterpillars on the broccoli and my neighbours have reported a new crop of runner beans and the return of blackfly!  Climate change is a real longterm threat to our environment but is already affecting ecosystems and presenting gardeners with new challenges now.  The meteorologists tell us that temperatures will be near normal in November - we shall see!

John Austin

Hove, October 2022