During the afternoon I found the cool air in the garden conducive to looking over my notes. I’m doing the second part of ‘Fundamentals of Plant biology’ course and am finding it absolutely fascinating, if a little challenging too! Keep the old brain working 🙂
So the solstice came and went and we are enjoying midsummer weather, it is all good, and life is feeling a little more like normal again. At least I hope it is for everyone else too.
”Colours shone with exceptional clarity in the rain. The ground was a deep black, the pine branches a brilliant green, the people wrapped in yellow looking like special spirits that were allowed to wander over the earth on rainy mornings only.” – Haruki Murakami
The garden’s trees as seen through a rain drenched window today. And a watery sunshine illuminating the rain and storm clouds in the early evening sky.
Sullen clouds are gathering fast over the black fringe of the
forest.
O child, do not go out!
The palm trees in a row by the lake are smiting their heads
against the dismal sky; the crows with their dragged wings are
silent on the tamarind branches, and the eastern bank of the river
is haunted by a deepening gloom.
Our cow is lowing loud, ties at the fence.
O child, wait here till I bring her into the stall.
Men have crowded into the flooded field to catch the fishes
as they escape from the overflowing ponds; the rain-water is
running in rills through the narrow lanes like a laughing boy who
has run away from his mother to tease her.
Listen, someone is shouting for the boatman at the ford.
O child, the daylight is dim, and the crossing at the ferry
is closed.
The sky seems to ride fast upon the madly rushing rain; the
water in the river is loud and impatient; women have hastened home
early from the Ganges with their filled pitchers.
The evening lamps must be made ready.
O child, do not go out!
The road to the market is desolate, the lane to the river is
slippery. The wind is roaring and struggling among the bamboo
branches like a wild beast tangled in a net.
These last few days have been very autumn-like around here, high winds, rain, cool evenings, but also quite a bit of sunshine in-between, a real feeling of autumn in the air.
While checking over the garden there is a lot to be seen that is going well. I even found a French bean plant in flower that I had all forgotten about, it has been growing in-between the profusely flowering sweet peas. The winter vegetables I planted out weeks ago are growing fast with all the rain they are getting, good to see this happening as I take the supplying of vegetables during the winter very seriously (and it’s fun).
And in-between the leeks there is yet another crop of young dandelions growing, the third crop this year so far!
The courgettes though, have not been doing so well, finally I will be able to harvest one, all the others rotted while still small. Then there is the rhubarb, this is a young plant, started off during the summer, and now being covered with the leaves of the silver birch tree that is towering above it. It promises to be a good rhubarb producer for next year, so the making of rhubarb jam will be on the agenda. During this summer there was very little fruit for sale at the market, probably due to the lack of sunshine there was little fruit around, but having said that, my sister-in-law had kilos upon kilos of strawberries in her garden, so I could be wrong. I do not have enough space to grow a lot of fruit that is why I like to buy it from organic local producers. Last year I made a lot of jam, we are still eating from it, this summer I made none.
The few flowering broccoli plants that were left over, once I got a handle on my slug control, did rather well, we ate some already. Today I found some caterpillars on one of the plants and removed them. No harm done.
The sprouts are starting to get too large to grow under the netting so I will have to remove that this week. I will also be harvesting beans and peas to dry for seeds. Then to mulch the soil with the leaves and branches that are left over as good for the soil.
There is other work to do too before the weather really gets bad (but I am actually expecting an Indian summer soon). I need to tie down the cold frame before I put the plastic back on, wind can get very high here and I don’t want to lose the frame. On Saturday market I will buy some more plants to go in there for the winter. I have plants ready, beetroots, to plant out too in another week or two.
And so the early autumn time is still busy, much is happening, love this time of the year too. Schools starting next week, my grandchildren are all getting ready for that. Almost unused garden furniture is about to be stored for another winter. A few checks have to be made to secure and maintain other things in the garden, and birdhouses have to come out.
And I have a project inside the house to do and am slowly but surely getting ready for that (next real rainy day). Trying my hand on a bit of DIY. I like to be really self sufficient, but I have a good adviser in my partner, thank goodness for that.
Round courgette doing well first one after many flowers rotted from the rain.
Discovery of a French bean plant I thought had died, and seeds of the sweet peas appearing
Kale and more kale for this winter, and the rhubarb plant covered in birch leaves already falling.
Flowering broccoli and little visitors which I caught today, before too much damage was done.
Sprouts and leeks for the winter months doing well.
More kale growing fast at this stage, and the garden how it is beginning of autumn 2015
agoyvaerts 