Maggies Blog - September

September is here already, where is this year going?! The nights are drawing in and we will soon be talking about Christmas!!

By now all the hard work throughout the year should be paying off in the form of delicious fresh vegetables and fruit straight from the garden to the plate. We are enjoying the runner beans, peas and tomatoes at the moment, with the plums and apples fattening up nicely for picking soon, As i have thinned out the beetroot and carrots and taste tender and sweet.

If, like mine, your outdoor tomatoes are not ripening up as quickly as you would like, it is a good idea to take most of the leaves off the plants. This lets the air circulate around the fruits and helps them to get every bit of sunshine to maximise ripening. I have also put the Planto Tomato Fleece Hoods on them now, as I have taken them off the blueberry bushes. (I have picked the blueberries which ripened wonderfully in the fleeces, without the birds having a feast!)

The blackberry canes are growing wildly in all directions and it had been necessary to prune them. Possibly not the correct time of year for this tack but they really are getting out of control.

Whilst doing this job I wore the Planto Arm Protectors which are brilliant idea! No more scratches and bleeding arms as the branches spring back and catch you unawares! They fasten with Velcro, so one size fits all and can be worn with any gardening gloves. A great gift for a keen gardener!

Some of the runner bedding is looking past its best and i have trimmed and dead headed my pots in an attempt to prolong their life. After tidying them up I gave them a dose of all purpose plant food to give them a boost.

I have given my lavender bushes a close haircut after flowering and they are forming neat shapes which will look attractive in the borders through the winter. Doing them now, straight after flowering, gives them a chance to recover before the cold weather sets in.

As my vegetable plants finish cropping I am composting the spent plants, digging over the cleared plot, applying a generous dressing of horse manure, and then leaving the soil alone so that the manure can break down and the nutrients can enrich the soil ready for next spring.

I am still planting lettuces in the greenhouse. If I just plant a dozen or so seeds at a time every two weeks it ensures a ready supply of leaves which are usually pest-free (although this week I found just one slug in a pot and it had done a lot of damage - I will be watering the pot with and infusion of garlic from now on to deter any other slugs with similar ideas!)