Tidying Up the Garden

So, we’ve come around to the final weekend in October, the end of British Summer Time (BST). It’s time to tidy up and shut down my small garden for winter.

The last of the runner beans have been harvested. Far too many remaining, unfortunately, as I should have been rummaging through more thoroughly at the start of the month. I’ll try salvaging a few of the smaller ones to blanch and freeze, the larger ones I’ll try to dry out for seeds for next year, but I expect some which fit neither of the aforementioned categories will only be suitable as component items of a vegetable stock. I’ve never tried freezing my own vegetable stock before, but I’ll give it a go.

I made the mistake of using the wrong netting on my kale and purple sprouting broccoli, and the cabbage white butterflies had a wonderful time laying eggs, that soon turned into hungry caterpillars, which then decimated my brassicas. I won’t be making the same mistake next year.

I was going to work on the garden tomorrow (Sunday) morning, but the forecast is for heavy rain. So it may have to wait until this coming Friday, which I have off work. It seems strange that we’re now almost in November, but I don’t mind as I quite like the autumn run up to Christmas. It’s in the long wait for spring that seems to drag to me…. And then I’ll miss even more that kale and broccoli!