20/21 September 2008 - Consolidation

The beginning of the end of summer on the plot. Last weekend was mainly essential maintenance and the first Allotment Association bbq, which was an unqualified success, due in part to the great weather. Great to see our renovated shed up and ready for use.

Several things had to be relieved of their misery - the second sowing of peas had alas resulted in more downy mildew, the french beans had ceased to produce and the spent sweetcorn. The courgettes, bless them, are still going. However, there is little point in denying that the end is nigh for the main growing season.

We had to harvest our butternut squash now as well, as the plants appeared to die overnight. We suspect downy mildew. Although the plants themselves had died, we have harvested 9 squash, ranging from small to medium. They are drying on our conservatory window ledge, looking rather like pears. We know that the butternut squash seedling we had donated to Pat and Jan is still flourishing and growing, so it definitely was a premature end to our harvest.

The mini-pop sweetcorn is left in to provide an attractive windbreak, but we won't be eating their cobs unfortunately as they were bred to be eaten small. Letting them grow was a miscalculation. Bigger is not always better.

The sweetpeas are dying down as are the runner beans. Elsewhere in the fruitcage, the raspberries are in full flood. We have even frozen some. They are delicious. There is even the chance of a second crop of strawberries as some flowers have appeared.

Of the seed sowings we made recently - of winter crops that grow over winter - only the chard and overwintering onions seem to be thriving. The spring cabbage seedlings in the seedbed have been protected by our famous home-made cloche system. We sow some winter spinach, winter spring onions and lettuce at home to get started in the cold frame.

The cabbages are doing well, albeit some have been severely attacked. We are at a loss as to what to do - they are protected by environmesh after all which should keep out the white butterflies that lay the caterpillar eggs. However, it was pointed out that by protecting our crops against pigeons we are also preventing other more helpful birds picking off the caterpillars for a juicy snack. Quid pro quo it would seem. We hope that the forthcoming cold and winter will kill them off anyway. The plants that are not attacked are thriving.

The leeks are looking good, though not as big yet as we had hoped. The green manure on the erstwhile potato patch is making its appearance, though slowly. Guess that's because of the time of year. The kale is looking splendid - quite Japanese in its curly purple beauty.

We also had a visit from Penelope, N's mum, who picked raspberries and blackberries most diligently. Over a tuno mayonnaise sandwich we mused on the therapeutic properties of allotmenteering.

N did a sterling job of laying more (free) paving slabs to increase the firm and weed-killing barriers and footways between essential areas of the plot. It will make an enormous difference in terms of mud and weeds. And it looks neat too.

Weather note: finally we have had a taste of summer, a lovely wistful Indian summer. We have felt warm and enervated by the sun. A shame it couldn't have happened earlier is the general view amongst the various plot holders. But you learn to be grateful for whatever you get.