Anyway, one of the first task was to trim the apple trees, I didn't do it last year as they hadn't long been planted and there wasn't much growth so I though I'd give them another year to really settle in, however they got a bit leggy over the summer so this winter I have trimmed them quite hard back to encourage them to thicken up a bit and hopefully improve next years crop.
I have stored the off cuts to dry out in the greenhouse to we can burn them on the stove, we didn't get much more that a few twigs off them but I hate to waste anything so on the fire they'll go.
Unfortunately my Cauliflowers have bitten the dust this year, it was the first time I had attempted to grow them so was hoping at least one of them would make it to the table. Sadly the sharp night frost's in October seem to have finished them off before they where big enough to do anything with! I'm gutted as I was really looking forward to eating fresh Cauliflower, I should have had some sort of cold frame over them but could stretch to buying one and didn't have enough stuff to make one, I'll know better next time!
Anyway they had to come out and go in the compost bin, the Broccoli on the other hand seems to be surviving ok and has put on more growth. The trouble is we're quite exposed being on the side of a hill facing south, great in the summer for the sun but we cop the wind and ice in the winter.
Other winter jobs include...
Tiding the greenhouse
Planting up garlic in pots in greenhouse
Digging up Blueberry bushes and moving them into a raised bed to stop them being swamped by grasses and weeds.
Scrubbing brick paths clear of moss (so they stop being so slippy)
Working on Rich to let me have a few chickens ( I suggested asking for them as a wedding present!)
Ordering seeds for next season, planning where everything will go!
I'll be making up my list of plants for next year in the next couple of days so I'll post as soon as I've decided what we'll be attempting, I really want to give Sweet Corn a try and some sort of Squash although I don't know which one? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
3 comments:
Rich - this is an order. Let Kat have chickens. Just think of all the eggs (sell them to friends and family and the chooks will pay for themselves in no time). There! No reason why not now. PLUS, Kat has a seasoned chicken-keeper on hand for advice and tips. It's an easy decision, so just say yes ;)
I had great success with Crown prince, 4 plants gave me about 10 fruits, and they taste fantastic. The only downside is that it is an F1 so I can't save the sseds, so for that reason give Baby bear a try, it is a baby pumpkin which also tastes great and you can save the seeds too.
I think Lucy makes an excellent point!
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