It's Wet Out There

Despite all best efforts by the Great British summer sun to deposit some last minute vital rays on the plot, it is sodden and squelchy underfoot. Mercifully we have free draining soil and raised beds, but even so, yesterday's trip to the plot, during which I planted shallot Jermor, onion Radar and garlic, varieties Marco, Cristo and Germidour, was a decidedly sticky experience. As I slid around on my bark paths, now ever so slightly mud filled, attempting to use my newly oiled trowel, the planting was difficult. With hindsight it was too wet to dig, even in my soil, so I will wait before planting my further varieties of Solent Wight and Purple Wight garlic, but at the same time I shall incorporate a sprinkling of compost in the bottom of those planting holes, so as to minimise any possibility of rot.
Those that I have planted, received a good mulching of compost on top. Here's hoping with all the wet, that it brings the worms up to pull all that matter down.

There is an upside to the wet soil in that it makes weeding much easier, so yesterday the saffron bed received a much needed tidy up and that will be compost mulched later today,  which will protect those emerging shoots.

It's time to dig up your horseradish and make sauce and I have to say that Zazen999's thongs (sorry honey) have made sizeable plants. I will dig up the largest plant and chop the main root, removing the small ones to be replanted. Should make for a bigger spread than ever next year.

En route to the allotment we stopped via our nearest Wyevale garden centre and managed to pick up some reduced turf, for the top of our garden. It's the area where we removed the holly tree and needs a complete renovation of the grass area. A new Rhubarb plant fell into my trolley at the same time. This one gives you stalks much later and right through to Autumn, prolonging that rhubarb crumble and custard craving.

Whatever you do this weekend, don't forget to check out your local garden store/nursery for some possible end of season bargains.

Here's a picture of my sunset view from the allotment through my raspberry fedge - taken today.

Maintenance and Mulching...

It is that time of year and coincides with a synodic week of rest, for maintenance and mulching of fruit trees. So Mr VVG and I have been cutting larger circles out of the orchard grass, around each tree - we have a mix of plum, apples, medlar and quince - liming the soil and then mulching with a combination of our own compost and leafmold.

Medlar Fruit

The one tree that I mulched this way last year, as an experiment has such beautiful dark and crumbly soil, that we are now widening this to all trees. I have also mown the grass off hard for what I suspect may be the final time this year. We have raked the slowly falling leaves, only 10% drop so far, but have already filled the chicken wire cage to about two thirds full. I smile as I realise that at the same time as riddling our compost heap to reveal a bin full of usable compost, we have filled two more. As we utilise last year's leafmold, we are refilling with this his year's. Gardening is a cycle. Mother Nature has a pattern, a path to follow if you like, the wheel keeps turning.

Onions, Shallots and Tulips In Pots

Well it is root week and having already sown (biodynamic system) overwintering onion sets into modules for the allotment and shallots direct into the polytunnel, it is time for me to sow some more using the synodic system. I am growing Radar and Shakespeare as my Japanese onion sets this year. Golden Gourmet and Jermor are my shallot varieties.

It's bulb time too and with that in mind I intend planting up two pots to provide some Spring cheer outside my greenhouse door, variety Tulipa "Vagota".

As Autumn gathers apace and the leaves start to fall, I would urge you to remember to gather them up and either black bag them or make a chicken wire cage. We have the latter and one of our jobs this week will be to transfer last year's leaf mold out for use in the polytunnel, leaving an empty space for this year's haul.