Baby Squash

I didn't spot it over the weekend but this morning out in the garden, I noticed this teeny, weeny baby squash just developing.

Will nurture it with loving care and hope it develops into something edible. What do you think the changes are - given the time of year?

Squash Flower

Finally! My squash plant or rather plants - there are two of them - which have been sprawling across the patio, producing what appeared to be potential squashes has finally flowered. It's only the 19th of October, the nights are drawing in and the days are definitely cooler, most the leaves are starting to die back but one of the buds is just about to open up and display a flower.

I have no idea what will happen next but I'll wait with baited breath. It is up against a brick wall and faces south-east, so there might be some hope of a mini-climate to produce, maybe, one squash fruit.

Tidying Up

Spent the day clearing up the square foot garden and the rest of the vegetables plants. Took down all the bean poles and what was left of the bean plants which had been attacked by the snails. The plants in the pot by the back door survived better but they were planted later and not as easily accessible by the snails The cats of course are delighted with the large litter tray which I've now created for them!

The chard is still growing away and definitely didn't like the hot summer and it's looking much happier and healthier now. There are still a couple of beetroot in the ground which I haven't pulled yet.

The tomato plants didn't do very well. They look as if they've got wilt so all the plants have been bagged up to take to the dump rather than just putting on the compost heap. This also reduces the likelihood of me finding little tomato plants popping up everywhere next year.

Hens vs Plants

I was up at the Grand Designs Live event in Birmingham yesterday and the Omlet stand was there. I've wanted chickens for a while but always thought it would have to wait until my 'house in the country'. Now I'm not so sure and thinking - why not, even though my garden's not particularly big.

Buying the complete Eglu kit seems like a good starting point. Not only do you get their easy clean hen house with a fox-proof run and cover but you also get two (or three) chickens and training(!) with delivery.

It is fenced, so I don't think the local foxes or badgers should be a problem. I have ideas of a lovely snail and slug free garden - although if they're anything like the pheasants that roam around my parents garden - they will probably eat ALL my plants and vegetables and create dust baths on any patches of bare earth ... but at least I'll have fresh eggs!

Purple Spouting

Planted up some purple sprouting broccoli seeds - just to see what happens, if anything and have something to fill the gaps over the winter.

They've been planted in seed trays so that I can grow them on and keep them safe from slugs and snails until they're strong enough to be planted out and hopefully produce some delicious, home grown purple sprouts in the spring.

I'm also thinking about what I can plant in the SFG over the winter.

October Update

Well, I have to say that the vegetables this year haven't been that successful. My chilli plant has produced some minute chillies and a couple of them have now turned red. Although they're meant to be small, I think they're meant to be slightly larger than a cherry.

As I've mentioned the runner beans have been competing with the snails - although didn't do too badly in the end and I got some lovely straight bean, so I'll definitely be growing them again next year. Although I will put them slightly earlier and hope that I have more success growing them from seed.

The tomatoes took a bit of a battering with the wind and ended up being blown over and crawling rather than climbing. What tomatoes did ripen were mainly small, with only one bush actually bearing any standard sized tomotoes. The sungold variety in the hanging basket was delicious but suffered from the dry weather.

The courgettes have been a bit of a disappointment. After a promising early start with a few good fruits they suffered from heat, slugs and snails. Never seem to get the right mix of water and nutrients to keep them coming.

Salads were good and it's lovely to pop outside and pick a few leaves for lunch. They're coming to an end now and going to seed, although I'll keep picking.

This month is mainly going to be about tidying up the plants that have grown up over the summer, turning the compost heap - one of the bins is full with new stuff, the other has been rotting down over the summer.