Its that time of year again on the plot!

Although we are still bringing in a fair harvest at this time of year, there are many plants which need to be cleared and composted. I must admit this is a job I tackle with mixed feelings: on the one hand, I enjoy the cutting down and clearing as it gives a sense of putting the plot to rest for the year, (I don’t grow much in the winter), and makes the place look tidy as each bay is worked and the covers I use are put in place.

On the other hand, I approach this job with a little guilt and a touch of sadness. I feel like I’m saying ‘goodbye’ to old friends who have provided food for my family and given me hours of pleasure as I’ve seen them develop from tiny seeds to fragile seedlings and then sprout into healthy plants as they take their place on the plot; Growing strong and reasonably healthy once the snails were dealt with! With some, it’s obvious their season has ended while others are still trying to produce fruits or are going to seed in an attempt to keep their cycle going.

I thought I would show you the allotment as it is just now:

The bay closest to the front was for the peas and beans and we have just started to take down the structures and rake the woodchip away. The plan is to clear it, put compost on then pull the blue cover (on the right hand side of the picture), over that bay for the winter. The hoops just above that are the for the brassicas which are still growing. I just finished weeding and tidying that bay at the weekend and found a whole host of snails! The yellow netting at the top is covering the red brussels sprouts – not got a lot of hope for them to be honest as they are so small but you never know in gardening, I could be in for a big surprise come Christmas! You can just make out the apple tree in front of the shed, which has given us the best apples so far.

This is where our potatoes were grown this year. We’ve put leeks in and beetroot with a few cabbages to make use of the space. I’ve left the borage to grow for a bit as I feel having large plants at the moment will help to reduce weed growth until I can get to that bay to clear it completely. The hoops in the bay above it are covering carrots and parsnips. There are big piles of weeds and plants which are ready to compost but we will gather them up a bit later when the compost bin is emptied.

It looks messy right now but there has already been a lot of work done. I enjoy working outside in Autumn more than I do in Summer! I even like to have a few days here and there in Winter – it’s quiet, the birds come to investigate what you’re doing and the work keeps you warm. I think the light is better too, more dramatic and it all adds to the satisfaction of working outdoors – even on days when you can barely feel your fingers or feet!