We went for a walk yesterday, not our usual route into the woods but instead keeping to the fields so that we could pick from the hedgerows.
Most of the crops have been harvested, only the corn is remaining and the badgers are having quite a feast of it.
We took containers for blackberry picking.
The picked fruit hung overnight in the jelly bag and this morning it was made into bramble jelly.
I've also made several batches of plum jam
and baked a mixture of apples, pears and plums to put in the freezer.
I like to prepare the fruit in this way because it requires the minimum amount of sugar, just a sprinkling, unlike the huge amounts in the jams and jellies!
Although the sun was warm it felt very autumnal. The garden, and it's gardener, are starting to look a bit tired and bedraggled.
Most of the citrus are still outside while the weather holds.
But leaves are dying back, exposing the crops beneath,
whatever they are! (Grown from seeds exchanged at the seed swap.)
Colour is fading and the birds are enjoying the seed heads.
I love the combination of the globe thistle and bronze fennel through all it's stages, from the blue and yellow of flowering to the textural contrast as the colour fades and the seed heads form.
Yes, it's definitely autumn now!
The sedum is just starting to colour up
and things are going well in the greenhouse.
A few more cucumbers still to come
and the peppers and basil cropping well.
What's not to like!
Is your greenhouse heated, please? I have just moved house and now have a bare greenhouse; I have no idea what to put in it and when. I do have a potted basil, so should I repot it and put it in there (in solitary splendour!)
ReplyDeleteHello Rambler, and what a treat, an empty greenhouse just waiting to be filled! I must explain that I'm an enthusiastic but not a knowledgable gardener. I've got two unheated greenhouses, both south-facing and one of them getting no winter sun due to shade from neighbouring trees. They are both lean-to spaces attached to house and garage. I don't heat the spaces but I do throw over a bit of fleece if the temperature really drops. I overwinter quite a lot of things, including citrus trees that I've bought for a few pounds while on holiday in Spain and Greece. They hang in there during the winter months but start to look a bit fed up by springtime (and so do I.)This time of year I put in a good number of cuttings, lavender, carnations, anything that I might want to propagate or that might be vulnerable to cold weather. I sow freshly gathered seed, delphinium seems to germinate 100% when it's fresh. I cram in my summer pots and auriclas. My basil will wilt when the temperature drops and will have to be brought into the kitchen. I would bung in whatever you fancy and see what thrives - a greenhouse is a wonderful space to pootle about in - and think of next year's bounty, all those cucumbers and tomatoes!
DeleteYou say: "The garden, and it's gardener, are starting to look a bit tired and bedraggled." LOL, appreciate that ~ the doe came back and ravaged mine -- thankfully after our company had left!
ReplyDeleteLove to see how enthusiastic you are about your greenhouses!
My freezer is packed full of plums as well. A few pears are ripening on the counters. I hated the fact I had to leave so many on the ground due to lack of time! Such a shame. One day I hope we'll have our own productive plum tree(s) here at home.
& pear trees too!
DeleteThe gardener is now looking slightly less bedraggled - I've just been to the hairdresser for a trim!
DeleteThere's only so much that you can do with pears, they don't keep or store as well as other fruit. I've baked some into chocolate cakes and tarts and put those in the freezer but sadly quite a number have gone to waste.
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DeleteGreat photos, I love that pink water lily. I used to have one but evidently it was not winter hardy as I only have a yellow (very hardy) that blooms clear till the first frost. I was going to purchase a citrus at the local nursery but they are very over priced here so am still looking.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same here in Blighty, Doc, citrus trees cost a great deal. Just a short hop into Europe and you can buy them for a few pounds.
Delete(Cabin fever - you -ha,ha!)
I love this time of year - but realise that it will soon be time for the big garden clear up - my garden is definitely looking tired and needs attention. Yours looks wonderful in the sunshine. I have been filling the cupboards and freezer with preserves too - that hedgerow looks absolutely bursting with blackberries - what would late summer be without a bit of blackberry gathering!
ReplyDeleteI love the still, quiet days that come in September. The last couple of mornings I've woken to thick mist, it's definitely autumn - very Keats!
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