Humph's Happy Horti-cult: harvesting, preserving, mulching, leaf-gathering, bulb-dibbing, seed catalogue-surfing and hunkering down for winter

[Lexilicious]

Following on from the original March to August thread. For all - whether still gardening through the winter or planning to sweep the shed, hibernate, sharpen the tools and get started again in the spring.

Happy gardening again!

Maud - was just 'perusing' a Parkers catalogue (not buying honest, just looking) and spotted this. Thought of your black and white bed.

Ah yes, Pkam, I was sorely tempted by that, but I have white agapanthus in that bed already and am waiting to see how dark the dark purple agapanthus which I bought at the RHS this spring turns out to be. It hasn't flowered this year, grr, perhaps because I was mean and split it into three plants as soon as I bought it.

And I've just spent a huge sum on Parkers and must restrain myself for a bit.

I'm just back from holiday and happy to see the garden hasn't suffered too much with us being away. The tomatoes are still not ripe (weather better in Scotland than down south the week we were away) and borlotti beans not doing too well either.

Now need to buy bulbs. A lot of bulbs as we only planted a few last year and have a lot of space to fill. Also have lots of projects for autumn - hedging and new raised beds for veg.

I have cleared a smallish space in the shady bed. Any suggestions for a perennial (not a shrub) to go in it? Backdrop is ivy Goldheart and various clematis and neighbours will be viburnums tinus and bodnantense. White or pale flowers would be a plus. I'm stuck for ideas ....

How about a lungwort if you want something clumpy?

I love pulmonarias, but there is one at the very front of that area already - it's a bit small and feeble because it has been squashed by the fern that I've heaved out, but I'm hoping it'll thrive now. Ideally, I'd like a bit more height than a pulmonaria - I've got a clump of white phlox I could divide and transplant but am hoping for something new.

::picky::

Hello all. I have been very, very slack in the gardening department lately :(

I have at least managed to keep the weeds at bay but I've not had any time to get out there and plant some things, do repotting and all of the stuff that needs doing :(

I shall now read the thread from top to bottom in the hope of new inspiration.

Managed a couple of hours in the garden today whilst the DDs trashed played in a bedroom and showered under the sprinkler. Have been clearing some stuff from the veg plot; taken out the spent sunflowers (I've put the seed heads by the bird feeder so I'm expecting some appreciation from the local birdlife), cut out the used sweetcorn, picked another load of runner and green beans. All looking quite good still though; I've bought some green manure seed but have no clear space to sow it yet.

Also, very excited that I have a tomato actually turning red!

Blackberry & Apple Jam recipe:

www.cottagesmallholder.com/blackberry-and-apple-jam-recipe-430

This is an excellent easy to use recipe which gives great results. My DDs are confirmed 'dont like cooked fruit' people but this has changed their minds. DD1 has even said that when she goes to university she will live on this jam on toast

Harrumph. I am thoroughly depressed, having seen how much is still in flower in Monty's garden and how little is in mine - he still has flowers on his astrantias, for example. I think the problem is that I didn't deadhead (or simply chop) everything before I went on holiday, so things haven't been producing new blooms. Ah well. Next year.

I am in Autumn mode. Have bagged up Dill and Marigold seeds, Cornflowers waiting to be done. Broad bean seeds, onions and shallots drying. Flipping tomatoes all got blight and cut the tops off the spuds as they might have too. Had to order bags to store the spuds. Autumn raspberries are fruiting and my Mara de Bois are finally producing a few strawberries.

Sat down with the Parkers catalogue today and was restrained. I treated myself to some new garden furniture whilst very reduced but haven't had a chance to sit and enjoy it yet. Felt quite efficient when I staked my very tall Japanese Anenomes today.

Have been trying to dig new allotment but have buggered my arm, flipping bindweed is everywhere. Finally have success with the third sowing of my Golden sweet Mange Tout and should have some to eat very soon.

Am definitely going to try the Blackberry and Apple Jam recipe. Shall make the DC's earn keep by going Blackberrying.

Wynken do make sure your DCs are suitably attired - I discovered to my cost that blackberrying in shorts is not a good idea. I hope your arm is better soon.

To give you an idea of yields, the 1kg of blackberries yielded about 750g of blackberry and apple jame which I thought was pretty good considering I strained the pulp through a jelly bag.

BTW if you havent worked this out for yourself (most people with more sense than me probably know this already) when straining pulp for jam put it through a colander, then a sieve then the jam/jelly bag. It is an awful lot quicker than just putting it straight into the bag and saves having to listen to the drip, drip, drip all night!

Hello. Just back from our flower show, where I won some prizs and instantly spent the money on more plants.

Where did you find the furniture, Wynken? I feel I need some to go with the new and improved patio.

Thanks Gnome, I did vaguely wonder how to deal with it then thought I'd deal with the details when I did it. DD wasn't around today so we didn't go. We will soon though.

Well done Maud, I'm impressed you got prizes. Very good use of prize money. The table is here. It's very solid and I got two benches to go with it for £25 each but I think they sold out. Then at the ends I got these which seemed very comfortable during the brief moment I actually got to sit in one.

Those look lovely, Wynken. Now to convince the Bloke.

Has anyone tried growing cucumbers in a conservatory? I presume this would be similar to greenhouse-grown plants. I love the cucumbers we grow outside but we don't get much of a yield and they seem to struggle a bit. So I'm thinking of using the conservatory next year, however, our conservatory does get very warm and I'm a bit worried that I might bake the plants if I forget to open a window from time to time. DH is also worried that the plants may take over the conservatory! Anyone with any experience?

Sadly no, Pkam.

::greenhouse and conservatory envy ::

I'm not allowed a greenhouse . We'd have to put it in the 'nice' bit of the garden to get the sun properly so not ideal so I sort of agree with DH on that one. But I think the conservatory could be put to better use other than just propagating my veg seeds.

Hi all, I went off the boil a bit recently on the garden front. Dunno why. Was just sort of enjoying it repaying all the effort from earlier in the year and then didn't get off my butt and keep the momentum up. However, this weekend I did a few useful things...

:::pulled up some plants in the flower bed which were way past their best (Gaillardia and geranium)
:::divided the geranium and gave some to a friend at a housewarming
:::took up a couple of seedlings from a cluster of clary sage I'd seeded directly in the ground, into a pot.
:::sprayed the bindweed coming to visit from next door. No sign of an effect yet. Does Roundup degrade over time? Should I buy a new bottle?
:::dug up three potato plants. Lots of yummy Pink Fir Apples and Stempsters.
:::Stripped some celeriac leaves. (How are yours doing Pkam?)
:::Gazed adoringly at the pink Colchicums which have popped up suddenly, and the teeny white ones. Staked the tall ones when the rain made them flop.
:::Planted out three cyclamen
:::chopped leaves off Irises.
:::Tied in perennial sweet peas and enjoyed seeing them start to bloom (interesting relationship with sunlight by the way - the ones doing best are in the shadiest part).
:::gave the oregano, marjoram and thyme a haircut
:::gave DH a tour of the garden and discussed putting up some more plastic trellis on the fence so that climbers will hide the ronsealyness of it.
:::clipped the (neighbours') hedge
:::mowed the lawn
:::turned the compost heap (as much as I could which was not much ) for the first time in 18 months!

Back to work tomorrow - a full five day week too! and off to a hen party next Sat so will have to get some little bits of harvesting and tidying up done in the evenings when I can. Sunset is now before DS' bedtime so I can't even wait till after he's down.

Hello everyone. I just watched GW and will send DH out to strip celeriac leaves. Sadly I went back to work on Friday It is getting very dark so early now as well.

Garden looking reasonably colourful, there are advantages to being late in planting cosmos, sunflowers and sweet peas as they are still in full flow. Sweetcorn will be a few weeks yet. Autumn raspberries are going strong, which is fantastic, and amazingly we have another crop of strawberries. A few have already ripened but I suspect we won't have enough sunny weather to get the rest.

I have realised that I should have planted yet more onions as am getting through them alarmingly fast. We are butchering two pigs next sunday so have my eye on all the herbs I will need for the sausages. I must plant more parsely next year. Am very annoyed I failed to plant garlic this year.

Turf cutting machine coming tomorrow, along with our faithful handyman to dig with DH. We are just girding ourselves for the bulb planting onslaught. Apple picking for juicing comes next, they are not ripe yet so have to hang fire on that one.

::farm envy yet again ::

Pigs are off tomorrow. Will be making pate tomorrow night (after staff meeting, oh joy).

It is blowing an absolute gale here.

Yes, lots of wind and wuthering here too.

Oh crikey, Humphrey. Do you have to do all the cutting and preparation of the meat? I eat meat but don't like dealing with it in its raw state.

::probably not cut out for farming life emoticon::

We look forward to that bit! The pigs are going off to be slaughtered, we will pick up two dead pigs (cut in half) which we will hang in a neighbours fridge for five days and then butcher on Sunday. we are sharing the large cooking amongst us (two other couples are having a pig), one lot are doing the brawn, we are doing the pate. Black pudding has to wait until we do the next lot of pigs here (mobile slaughterman, what a job!) as that is the only way we can get our hands on the blood. A butcher showed us what to do last year, DH remembers it all and I am not allowed to pick up the knife as I am unbelievably clumsy...

Last year we made ham, bacon, sausages, salami, chorizo, brawn and an air dried ham that is still curing.

Oh my.

::Joins Vegan Society::