24TH SEPTEMBER 2019 - NORTH YORKSHIRE
Enjoying an amazing crop of Chillies (Cayenne, Piri
Piri and Habanieros) – some in the green house – been ready for early picking
for last four weeks – those outside have just started to go red. Head Gardener
busy finding ways to preserve for winter use, all three varieties making
excellent Chilli Oil – in various strengths of heat from Cayenne through Piri
Piri to ‘Blow your Head Off’ Habeniero Oil. Fill an empty one litre Olive oil bottle
with a third of the volume of prepared Chilli ( cut length ways and remove
seeds – unless you are ready for a ‘Journey into Space’) and top up with good
quality Olive Oil –leave for four weeks until oil starts to colour (longer if
you are very brave) before using sparingly in all your exotic cooking. When you
have filled your cupboards with bottled oil try freezing some or simply string together and dry for winter use.
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| Cayenne chilli on the vine |
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| And many more to come |
The four tomato plants grown outside from early June have started to produce a usable
crop of small tasty fruits – truly amazing and pest free in the open air, one
up for Climate Change then?
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| Hoping that these will ripen |
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| May have to make Green Tomato Chutney! |
Have always had an addiction to local flower shows
and the one in our local village beckoned – so on the morning of the show
decided to go to the show site early and get hold of an entry schedule (HG had
warned as the poster was advertising a ‘Produce Show’ that this would preclude
‘Flowers’ – she was wrong). Returned to garden to see what was almost
‘showable’ and returned to venue with thirty minutes to spare before entries
closed. Showed two vases of three Dahlias ( White cactus and Red/White ‘Danish
Flag’), Three individual Roses – Gertrude Jekyll, Summer Sunshine, Falstaff)
one single white Hydrangea and two Cayenne Chillies. Got it all set up with two
minutes to spare before the Judges arrived. On return after lunch was
astonished to find cayennes got First Prize and Best Vegetable in Show,
Gertrude Jekyll rose got First and best Single Bloom in Show, White Cactus
Dahlias got First and Bishop of Llandaff Dahlias and Hydrangea both got Second
Prizes. (All down to watering and feeding).
So with Autumn in the air it’s the time to sort out
last year’s ‘Summer Stored’ Bulbs to check and plant the survivors together
with the new acquisitions (Aldi Tulips and Daffodils still best value at £1.69
per pack of ten). As the summer tubs fade they are each being emptied, washed
and sterilised, filled with fresh compost and planted with two layers of bulbs
( around twenty per pot for Tulips and fifteen for Daffodils) bottom layer
200mm deep, second layer 150mm from top and then the tub is topped off with
winter flowering Pansies and Heartease ensuring continual winter colour and
Spring flowering until late April next year.
Everything that is ‘Straggling’(ie growing long and
‘leggy’) has just received a late September ‘Haircut’ – if it stays mild they
may come again; if cold they will soon die off completely. As Roses are still
flowering well, will leave Autumn prune until first frost. Geraniums will be
brought in and cut back (take plenty of cuttings) for winter store – free of frost. Dahlias will also require winter frost free environment – found cutting
back to 75mm and leaving in tub produced best results rather than trying to dry
out the tubers for storage.
Lawns and Hedges are at last showing signs that
their growing season is slowing (lawns have often needed two cuts per week this
year and hedges have already had three cuts). So with time now available a
start can be made on the clearing of the Herbaceous borders and the
winter planting with miniature evergreen shrubs of the Hanging baskets.
Ah well - now exhausted
getting old and ready for
a welcome cup of the HG’s coffee.
See you soon
Stuart
