SUMMER OVER, HARVEST HERE

Off we nip for a few days to the delights of Orcop Hill and the garden sneaks up on
us with its carrots, damsons and so on.
I picked the last of the broad beans before we left and took Victoria plums with us (they were eaten within 36 hours.) I have just picked another 3 pounds of fruit but the wasps have arrived and gave me a nasty shock. They were right inside a plum and had virtually hollowed it out.
The damsons are coloured but not yet ripe so they stay unpicked.
Even the roses with hips are laden and have twigs bowed to the ground.
The asparagus fronds are good and there is hope for next year. (There is always hope!)

The rhubarb has been in for 6 years and needs dividing and replanting to reinvigorate it. I will dig up each plant and look to see how many growing points it has. Then I will split the crown so each piece of plant has at least one growing point and then replant in rich soil 18" to 2 feet apart and water in well. They could be planted father apart but I am limited for space, (because I have transplanted the wallflowers to where I wanted to put the rhubarb), and they will get a big feed of well-rotted manure to give them a boost.

We have had gales and the cosmos are leaning
over, many sweet pea flowers marked
by the rain. I have had to pick some, dead head any going over and hope that they will recover.

Mowing has been difficult because of the wet weather (and because I have not been here). The stream is full and I have not completed the dig out of the bed.

Whilst we were away we went to Canon Frome near Ledbury, a community living in a mansion, and I bought a big planter by George Thomas.
http://hot-metal.net/2013/08/17/planters/

It is a splendidly original galvanised creation and will make a great change from the usual garden centre stuff.
The plan is to have yellow winter flowering pansies in it  around the perimeter and deep plant it with dark red, purple and orang tulips. The pansies will be encouraged to hand down through the gaps between the petals.
It was made from an old water tank the site above says.

The kitchen garden at Canon Frome was enormous and had fruit and veg going over. It did, however, look a little like, as the year has gone on, attention to maintenance has lapsed, a bit. One joy was a large mulberry tree with its delicious fruits. Much of the crop was sadly on the ground.


This is one of my marrows with a pen to show scale. I love them - sadly alone - so it will be marrow and mint soup by the bucket load. Some people say marrow has no flavour and I agree the taste is subtle, but lovely - stuffed with lamb mince and cut in rings - yummy!

I have brought in green tomatoes from the outside plants and put them on the windowsill with a banana to help ripen them. the lowest fruit had been attacked by slugs.

The last broad beans are picked and in the freezer. It is always a surprise that the large heap of pods on the kitchen island becomes a few small bags of beans.
I cannot be bothered with shelling them - fine dining rubbish - as long as the beans are fresh and not too big they are wonderful.

Autumn is with us, leaves are staring to turn, temperatures are falling (R will not let me put on the heated bathroom floor yet) and the last swallows and martins have gathered and many are gone.

The view from The Nook has a distinct end of year feel even though it is only September.
R is about to put away her summer clothes and dig out the wooly combinations.
There is a sense, already, that the garden needs preparing for the winter to come so it is time I got of my backside and did something -
                                               like have another cuppa tea.