Autumn Growing - Potatoes

Back in March I planted my seed potatoes out on the plot - Home Guard first earlies - and like everybody else looking forward to a lovely crop of new potatoes in June.

Then - again like everybody else - the awful weather caused poor growth - then blight - and a rubbish crop that fed us for about 2 meals.

I harvested what I could and cleared the plot. In August I noticed that a few plants had re-emerged - this is normal as its almost impossible to clear a bed entirely of potatoes. I decided to let them grow on a bit on the off chance that I might get a small second harvest. In September I did indeed get a few more of eatable size out - then sowed Mustard Green Manure ......

Autumn Growing - Broad Beans

Last month I wrote a post about -
Autumn Sowing - Broad Beans.

Four weeks on - and the beans are doing well. They have almost all germinated and are growing on nicely on my St Ives Cornwall allotment.

But - as the pic shows - this weekend the bed was in urgent need of weeding - so I got that done yesterday .......

Sunday On The Allotment - 11 Nov - Odd Jobs

A beautiful sunny morning out on the St Ives (Cornwall) allotments.

I headed out mid-morning to get a few jobs done and to generally enjoy pottering about in the Autumn sunshine.

I started with a cigarette and my usual tour of inspection - and things are looking fairly good.

The peas are still growing on well - under their protective fleece cloche.

A bit of weeding will be needed in a week or two - but otherwise all fine ..........

Leaf Mould - A Free Resource

In a previous post I wrote about making leaf mould (leaf mold) from the fallen leaves in my garden:
October - Making Leaf Mould

When I was on one of my regular walks out to the fields - below the Penwith Hills north of St Ives - I noticed just how many fallen leaves there were along the path. Suddenly the light bulb went on in my head - free compost !

There is nothing I like more than free stuff and this was a fairly obvious one.

After that I took a couple of black plastic bin bags with me every time I went out - and filled them up.

These were mostly deciduous leaves - from the trees lining the boundary of St John's In The Fields Church and Vicarage ......

Growing Giant Pumpkins

As things get quieter on the allotment I'm planning some posts looking back over the growing season.

As has been mentioned many many time here and on other allotment blogs - it hasn't been an easy season here in the UK and Cornwall. Wet and cold weather has persisted through the Summer, though Autumn here in Cornwall hasn't been too bad.

One thing I've had a bit of success with is growing pumpkins and squash.

These included Giant American Pumpkins that I wanted to grow especially for Halloween. Or maybe that should be "Pumpkin" singular - as in the end only one survived to become a magnificent Halloween lantern ! Read On ......

Sunday On The Allotment - 4 Nov - Tidying Up

A slightly bleak but beautiful day out on St Ives Allotments on the edge of the Penwith Hills. I headed out west late morning into uncertain weather.

Today's plan was to do a bit of general tidying up, sort out and clear one of the beds where I harvested pumpkins last week and check progress on the Autumn sowings.

The skies soon cleared to blue and the sun came out to cheer my mood further. I've not been able to get out on the plot for a week - due to a combination of car problems and website projects that needed finishing.

Both now sorted - for now. So time to enjoy some time out on the allotment ......

Green Manure - Mustard

Green manures are sown onto beds after the main crop of vegetables has been harvested - usually in late Summer and early Autumn.. They are not intended to produce another crop to eat - but do deliver some really worthwhile benefits.

They suppress weed growth and hold nutrients in the soil that might be washed away by Autumn and Winter rains. Some - particularly if from the bean family of plants - actually add fertility to the soil by fixing nitrogen - just like beans grown to eat. When they have done their work, start to flower or die back - they can either be dug into the soil to improve its structure, or provide a useful addition to the compost heap.

Finally - my personal view - I prefer to at least have something growing on my plot rather than empty beds. As long as it adds to the plot within broadly "green" principles - I'm keen on a Stakhanovite level of allotment plot productivity that would put a Stalinist collective farm commissar to shame ! ........