Friday 24 September 2021

Cooler weather

It is definitely autumn now, the night temperatures are chilly and I've put the pots of greenhouse tomatoes outside to make room for the various citrus trees and bushes that have spent the summer in the open. The squash are inside as well, apart from a mammoth one still growing on the compost heap.










The citrus are at various stages of fruiting. Only the Meyer lemon is a successful crop for me, prolific and flavoursome. The other varieties don't do very much but will be pampered through the winter months nevertheless.














 


 

It's crowded in the greenhouse, I keep banging my head on these lemons, they dangle down from the tree and are always getting in the way!




















I'm busy taking cuttings. Some that were taken last year are already fruiting.


I have two trays of delphinium seedlings. When the seed is gathered and sown while still fresh then germination is almost one hundred percent.

 The tomatoes grown outside have been more prolific than those inside but the crop has been much reduced by blight so I won't be growing that variety again. (The seed packet came as a freebie with my gardening magazine.)


 

 

 

 

 

 

Another free seed packet promised lots of pink frills. It didn't turn out to be quite what was promised, however, although still lovely. Clearly most of the parentage is cosmos Purity, a variety I've been growing for years.
























There are still a few nice roses to pick and artichoke flower heads to admire.

























The sweetcorn are ripe. Mouth watering!

A second sowing of mangetout are cropping well and the courgettes continue to play hide and seek. I'm tired now of picking cucumbers and the leaves have mildewed, so that's it for this year.



















14 comments:

  1. Lemons! I'm almost tempted to move to Devon.

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    1. I don't believe you are tempted at all. I'm following your heroic adventures in chilly Iceland and know that you are Northern through and through! You can buy lemons with far less effort from the shop.

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  2. I always enjoy looking at your garden. Everything looks so prolific.

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    1. I'm so pleased that you are enjoying my garden,Susan. We do eat very well from it and this has been a good season apart from a pathetic crop of carrots No idea what went wrong!.

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  3. I wish I had your "green thumb."

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    1. I don't know about a green thumb, but I do seem to have rather grubby hands and knees. (Shorts weather gone, now it's grubby hands and jeans.)

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  4. Your garden is delightful. I have a pretty full garden myself for a suburban dweller but I'm always longing for more space. I love your new cosmos...my favourite annual.

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    1. Hello Melinda,nice to hear from you, I would love to see photos of what you are growing. The new cosmos, although it doesn't perform as promised on the packet, is still very lovely and I shall buy it next season. I've never had any success in keeping cosmos seed to grow the following year.

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  5. What a fantastic lemon and squash crop! I would love a lemon tree, but fear I don't have the space to over winter one. Everything in your garden looks very lush and beautiful. I especially love the apricot coloured rose. Lulu x

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    1. My citrus do tend to sulk when they have been inside in sold, damp conditions throughout the winter. Scale insects are an absolute pest. I dragged all but the Meyer back from holidays abroad so they are a lovely memory for me.

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  6. It’s that time when we know the change to winter is coming but we try to maintain the look of summer as long as we can. My lemon hasn’t fruited for maybe 12 years, since a neighbour pruned it without my permission, I live in hope like any gardener.

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