Autumn bliss
Autumn is well and truly in the chilly air this week but it's not necessarily a reason to be down!
The birds are back in force to enjoy our sunflower seedheads, and help us as we pull out old crops and fork over cleared beds. Rather than leave bare soil to overwinter, green manures such as Phacelia, mustard, field beans and grazing rye have been sown, as well as winter crops cornsalad, claytonia and landcress.
Overwintering broad beans 'Aquadulce Claudia' or 'SuperAquadulce' sown now will give an earlier crop than spring sown beans next year – ours get a bit of winter protection from netting over hoops. Pumpkins have been cut and taken indoors to dry ready for store – they’re unlikely to dry properly on the beds in the changeable weather now.
There is some lovely veg to harvest – huge red cabbages that would feed a family of six ('Kalibos', pictured above), fresh green chard leaves, oriental salads and the inevitable beans. Picking the raspberries is a favourite job of course – strange how few reach the basket...