Autumn sowings

We're digging the carrots as we need them at the moment. Soon we'll have to dig the whole lot up and store them in bags so the frost doesn't ruin them.

Today, we sowed 3 rows of broad beans and 100 onion sets.

I really need to get my act together and prepare some ground for some winter peas and garlic too. I didn't get round to planting any garlic last year and we really (really!) missed it this year.

Check out me plums!

 Our plum tomatoes in the greenhouse - just starting to ripen earlier this year. They were absolutely delicious! When you compare the taste of a home grown tomato to that of a shop bought one.... well they couldn't be more different if they tried!

 River looking very smug after helping to harvest several kilos of blackcurrants from just ONE bush. Kel made jam with it all.

  A barrow load of runner beans a couple of years ago with my old sheepdog Tess (RIP)

A squash just starting to swell in mid summer. We love growing squashes, you get so many different shapes and sizes we try and grow a new variety every year. The plants take up a lot of room and the plot takes a lot of preparation before planting them out - but they're worth the extra effort!

The veggy plot

 This was taken just before kel and I started to dig our 1st veggy beds. As you can see it's quite a large area with heaps of potential. A sloping south facing field with a little shelter from the strong south westerly winds and good soil. I remember how excited we were!

 We started off by cutting out long thin strips of turf and turning them into 'raised beds' by edging them with salvaged wood. I'd go pulling wood out of skips or ask for off cuts on building sites. It's amazing (and depressing) what gets thrown away.

Several years down the line and we've started to grow in much larger beds. If you want a years supply of spuds, growing them in small raised beds just doesn't cut it. We've also found that although the raised beds look nice they harbor a lot more slugs than growing in larger areas.....