Sadness and new beginnings

So as you imagined, we moved to Eastbourne, and now it is time for me to say goodbye to the Lamberhurst Furnace Lane blog. It was probably a short and sweet experience, just 2 years I worked on the plot, but I learnt so much in that time. All this knowledge will not be wasted but put to use in creating my new garden. We have fortunately found a house with a huge garden, (well huge for me!) enough for a bountiful vegetable patch and small orchard. I will return to Furnace Lane to put my allotment 'to bed' and to bring back my fruit bushes. If you are interested in following my journey there, please come to my new blog which is called Josephine's garden. Many thanks for following me.
http://josephinesgarden.wordpress.com/

Cornflower seedheads

I was gathering seeds from my deep red/black cornflowers, when taking this pic, I rather liked it.

Plot Views October

I've been very organised this year, and continued to clear weeds and plant in new ground freed up by old crops, such as planting leeks where my new potatoes were. This was tricky as the leeks could have really gone in sooner, but fortunately this year we have had a mild autumn so far, so they've had a good chance to get growing. You can see the gradual decline generally from last month though.

I have taken a risk and moved the ailing red sprout plants over to this side where the other ones are doing really well. I know you shouldn't move sprouts but they looked so feeble anyway, I thought I might have nothing to loose! (unfortunately the weaker plants are hiding behind the big vigorous ones to the left,so you can't see them)

My 29 leeks, the ones which have survived the slugs

October on the plot this year

...and October last year

The Big Freeze or Indian summer?

It's well an truly an Indian summer in the south this year, and according to Countryfile, it looks set to stay warm here for another week at least. On the plot today I noticed how rigorously the weeds had returned since my tidy up in September. Not only the weeds, but potatoes and broad beans were pushing up their heads, and some mysterious seedlings, that must be one of the wild flower varieties from nearby.

Broad beans

Wild Flower seedlings

I have capitalised on this warm spell by sowing some more spinach and rocket next to my leeks, and I even got my garlic planted in good time this year. I have put a closh on the salad just in case... fingers crossed the weather doesn't take a freak turn for the worse, as was suggested on the Express headline this week, -20 due apparently!

An apple day's pickings

Today was the fourth year we attended the Herstmonceux Allotment's Apple Day. Basically you pitch up at 10am, and help pick the apple harvest at the nearby orchard. After a couple of hours of hard graft (and much scrumping on the job) you stop for a well earned hearty bbq and rest. It was a fab day due to the unseasonably hot weather, there was no better place to be than in the heart of the weald enjoying it's bounty!

 

 Musquee de Provence Squash

 View down to the orchard

Tired pickers!

I almost forgot to mention (...thanks to Sue) that you get to take home a big bag of fresh apples for your efforts!

The last pickings of....

...flowers from my plot, they are all over now. I have been especially pleased with them this year. I've taken a bunch or two home each visit which has definitley been worth the effort to grow them alongside the veg, not to mention the benefit to insects!

Golden Beet

This year I've been really pleased to grow some Golden Beets, I actually really like the flavour-very sweet and the colour is just amazing! Next year I'll definitely be growing more and devising ingenious ways to cook with them.