An essential guide to early Autumn planting

I never use pre-prepared pieces from any companies that send me stuff but I received this a little while ago and thought it was well written. It's a sad thought but the summer is over my darlings (and we must be brave) and make use of these fleeting weeks to get some yummy foodstuffs in the ground.

I'm sorry; my tiny brain was blown by a trip last week to Berlin which was just amazing and thus as I haven't recovered yet it has come to this - using other peoples words on my blog! I would add to the following though - GET YOUR SPRING FLOWERING BULBS IN TOO!

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What to grow and how to get the best results

 By The Greenhouse People

With autumn drawing near, now is the perfect time to prepare for a season that’s bursting with potential. In September the ground is still warm so it’s a good time to try some late sowings and it’s also when the UK’s biggest campaign dedicated to organic produce takes place.

From cupboard staples like garlic, onions and shallots to the more exotic pak choi, early autumn is the ideal time to grow tasty vegetables.

Here, The Greenhouse People share the tips and tricks every gardener should know to make this autumn as plentiful as possible.

Baby spinach

 

We all know Spinach is bursting with iron, but it’s also a fantastic source of other vital nutrients like magnesium, an important mineral for bone health and maintenance, and potassium essential for helping to maintain blood pressure.

Luckily, with the right know-how, you too can grow these nutritious greens at home. The trick is to plant spinach as early as possible in autumn to help them reach maturity before the temperatures drop too much.

Spinach can be grown in a greenhouse or even a conservatory and it’s advisable to put a protective cloche around the plants in the day and a horticultural blanket at night to help them thrive.

Finally, adding a thick mulch around the base of the plan will keep the surrounding soil warm.

Garlic, onions and shallots

 

Garlic, onions and shallots are all members of the same family and these clever kitchen staples will virtually look after themselves over winter, to be enjoyed in summer.

When it comes to watering, give them plenty until November time when you should start reducing the amount of water until early spring. A well-textured soil with incorporated bulky compost will hold on to enough moisture to see the crop through winter.

Garlic, onion and shallot bulbs thrive in open and sunny sites. If exposed to sub-zero temperatures, there is a risk of bolting which means that plants produce flowers at the expense of harvestable bulbs.

A relatively undemanding crop that gives good yields; the perfect choice for beginners.

Pak choi

 

Pak choi is an oriental vegetable also referred to as Chinese cabbage. It makes a great addition to stir-fries and is a perfect meat accompaniment. The other good news is that it’s a cool-weather plant, making it a great candidate for your Autumn vegetable patch.

For optimum results, it’s best to plant pak choi seeds in moisture-retentive soil. You should also ensure you keep the plants well-watered throughout the growing period.

It’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for pests which love this Chinese cabbage like flea beetles, aphids and cabbage worms. Either pick or hose them off regularly.

Fortunately, Pak Choi is fast-maturing so you should be able to start harvesting the young leaves after as little as 30 days.

Kale 

Kale was once hidden away in niche health food stores but it’s now experiencing its heyday.

Rich in antioxidants, kale is a wonderfully versatile crop that can flourish in most conditions. It’s also less prone to attracting pests and developing rot diseases than cabbage and broccoli, making it an ideal veggie for gardening novices.

To get the best out of these vibrant flowers, you should plant bulbs around two to three times their depth, facing upwards, in enriched soil with compost or manure from the previous season.

Summer is slowly fading, but it’s not all doom and gloom. With these handy hints and a fresh outlook, you could soon be on your way to reaping the many rewards this autumn has to offer!

love and hugs
Carrie

Daily photo challenge round up (15)

Another week passed me by in a whorl and I am sitting here in my pjs at lunch time on Saturday wondering where it all went. I have a head full of new experiences and much excitement as on Tuesday (early morning) to Thursday (late at night) I was in Berlin for the first time.

Red eye flights so as to pack full days in, hand luggage only to help cope with all that baggage claiming nonsense and a list as long as your arm of things we wanted to do in 3 days! All fuelled by much caffeine and short naps - it was fabulous and I'm only coming round from it all now and I still have all 400 photos to look at, haha.

But it's daily photo challenge catch up day :)

Day 8 - pepper
Peppercorns are so very beautiful to smell, roll around in your hand, look closely at their wrinkled gorgeousness and colours and CRUSH onto your dinner 😉

Day 9 - dance
You just can't have a good boggie without some funky disco balls! 💃

Day 10 - kick
A caffeine kick to get to day started 😉

Day 11 - broken
A phone booth on a German street is smashed up yet still works and still advises us to go listen to Mozart's Requiem...

Day 12 - swing
You are never too old to enjoy a good swing 😄

Day 13 - clever
Loving this super clever world clock in Berlin. Tells you the time EVERYWHERE in the world at once 🤗

Day 14 - grub
My first taste of Vietnamese food was so wonderful. Flavour explosion! 

My love and hugs as always dear friends
C xx

Daily photo challenge round up (14)

So, SEPTEMBER, we met again and you have decided to be all stroppy and cold and rainy and dark. Well, welcome, humph!

This month I decided to choose Fat Mum Slim and her monthly photo challenges again; the prompts are once again by Jenny Love Wednesday  i did look around and found another blog which did prompts but I just like the way Fat Mum Slim is so organised and the community on Instagram is lovely, with all sorts of photography styles and levels welcome. I think i may even join the Facebook group that goes with it, some of these people are just so cool :)

Here are the months prompts:

 I have even managed to get 1 friend (and loyal reader) to play along with me this month - Rosemary from Selkie's Crochet. Hurrah - big love to you petal!

So here are my photos from this week so far...

 Day 1 - spoon
A delicate porcelain Chinese soup spoon in it's bowl.

 Day 2 - dad
Toby thinks his 'dad' is the bestest. High fives all round 😀🐶✋💓

Day 3 - rain

One of my favourite street art pieces in Belfast --- a rainy day stuck in traffic. Oh "rainy days and Mondays always get me down...."

 Day 4 - sauce
Good old HP never lets you down. Did someone say BBQ?

Day 5 - toes
Some of the cutest toes I know...🐶

Day 6 - balloon
Colin the caterpillar balloon gave his all for this prompt. There he was relaxing after a hard morning of merry making then 'POP' ☠.... outside to the bin (still smiling). RIP COLIN.

Day 7 - musical 
Say it fast = musical!
A music hall and speak-easy in Belfast.

I shall get back to writing about the allotment, hiking and all things good, promise. My mental health has been poor the past weeks and I have to be stronger and worker harder at keeping the negatives and the unnecessary out of my mind. There is a lot of stuff out there that simply doesn't deserve my energy.

Hugs and love and cuddles to my friends
Carrie xx

P.S. photos of sweetcorn and squash harvest to come - what a great year!!