Short days and cold nignts

Just occured to me that the days will soon be short and the nights colder!

Do you have a set plan you follow each year?

I have given up planting in the autumn with the exception of garlic, which incidentally, is planted on raised ridges to keep its feet a bit drier. I give the soil a quick turn over and remove the bigger stones which seem to crop well each year!

Decide whats going where next year and feed the beds accordingly, most beds will get a manure dressing with the exception of next years beetroot beds, these get a generous application of BFB in the spring.

Some of the beds will be covered with clear polythene, this encourages the weed seeds to germinate, which get hoed off when the frosts arrive, i find it makes the spring dig easier. Towards the end of the year the brassica cages will get a good dressing of manure and then get covered with weed membrane. When uncovered for planting in the spring, the worms have done their job and the soil is nice and firm, ready for planting out.

I also like the shorter days for carrying out maintenance tasks.  I also use the winter months to stock up on compost, gives me plenty of time to riddle it ready for sowing. 

Greenhouses get a good clean including giving the glass a thorough clean. All my tools get a good clean and wooden handles oiled.

Plan? Plan?....what's a plan? I'm basically reactive to the weather. OH oils, varnishes and repairs tools as and when needed. As mentioned elsewhere he's reroofing the shed now the garden is slowing down, he'll probably start on house maintenance after that.. I'm a digger rather than no-digger and after I've cleared out the patches of spent veges Paul will fork over in prep for adding manure, etc in spring. Ready to start all over again.

As the GHs empty of tomatoes I replant them with all sorts of stuff - often experimental to see whether they survive the winter - or not!

I'll do more clearing of ground and hacking back of brambles and weeds - it's easier to see what you're doing when the leaves have fallen............that's another job, raking up the leaves though I usually rake them off paths and onto beds as a mulch, rather than bagging them up for leafmould.

I'm toying with clearing the old chicken run where I dump the grass cuttings and compostables and either topping up some beds with it or filling builder's bags and containers ready for spring. On the other hand, I may just leave it where it is.

Once my neighbour has rebuilt his fence that blew down a couple of months ago, I may have a patio laid alongside it on the old rockery. It faces south and would be a nice place to sit out in the evening. 

I'll also dream up more nutty schemes and play about with seeds and seed packets and order more books.

Still to much to do to think about shorter days. There as still 10hrs 'sunshine' till about 24th Oct. here. Still picking raspberries, tomatoes, sweetcorn still ripening and peppers, potatoes need digging up, weeds still growing strongly (and smiling as they know they've won again - 38th year in a row). They don't seem to stop for winter, just slow down a bit. And the grass is still growing.

I usually empty beds cover with manure and weed fabric, starting seed juggling, tidy tunnels (I don’t clean them till the start of the next season), plan next season’s crop rotation.

This year I’ve already started. Hopefully I’ll have better things to do this year, (house build).  No doubt you’re all boarded of hearing that! I know I’m getting board of saying hopefully   . 

I'm rubbish at being organised. I keep doing stuff but everything will be a mad rush come Spring.
The tons are still producing lovely. They won't get cleared out until they start dying. I will take my beans in soon though. It's been a good year. They are drying well

My only plan is to add dalek compost as crops finish and plant lettuce in my GH as the toms come out.

I've been rubbish this year - work has taken over my life, and now that we could start socialising a little, that's taken up what little free time that I have had.

So, I'm not only behind, but I even have tomato plants that I have done absolutely nothing with since planting them. It's been madness. The tomatoes grew into a jungle. I have no idea if there's any fruit in there haha

My plan for the autumn is to tackle the jungle, to weed and prepare more beds on the allotment, and maintain them over winter.

The greenhouse will be cleaned down at some point.

Much like Sariss my new job has taken me over... hence lack of posts here and there - hope you are all keeping safe

You're always welcome, whenever you find time to look in, Baldy
Bet you never thought I'd say that.