Sunday, September 7th, 2003
Lovely September day - bright, warm sun. It was just a little too low and diffuse to be a summer sun, and yet there's a fresh spring-green flush on the football field after Thursday's rain, and the trees are on the turn - very strange!
Spent the afternoon lifting potatoes - the Kestrels have done their bit again; despite the drought, despite not being watered, I have a third more than any other year! More, and bigger potatoes - I suspect because I planted them quite a bit deeper than usual.
The drought means a little scab on some of them - and I was VERY surprised to find some slug damage. Only on four or five - but I'd never seen that before. The explanation? I was digging away, and a tiny mouse shot out across my Wellington, and disappeared; next spade load uncovered a perfect ball of dry grass and leaves, with two baby mice. So now I'm a home-breaker!
Lifted the Pink Fir Apple as well - they haven't coped well with the drought; not many, pale, and small ----- but I'm eating a plateful as I type. Truly gorgeous - plain boiled, unsalted, with just a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of parlsey. That's another potato added to my list of favourites!
Pulled beetroot today too - the Choggia and Forono have done well, but I've only a couple of the golden; I'll boil them tomorrow evening, and see what they're like.
Through the summer, I've also lifted the best crop of shallots and garlic I've ever had; they're drying all round my flat at the moment - filling every windowsill!
And despite the tribulations of the spring and summer, I have a remarkable success to report; a couple of dozen clean, sweet, and edible carrots --- far more than I've grown in all the time I've had the allotment! Yellow ones, stumpy red ones, long red ones - but not the Flyaway, as that row was firmly trampled. Ooooh, the pride and satisfaction! IT CAN BE DONE!
Sunday, September 14th, 2003
Another glorious day - too hot to do anything but potter. Cleaned and sowed a couple of beds in alfalfa, since it did so well a couple of years ago. The kids were impressed by a few more carrots I found - they've never seen yellow ones before, and aren't quite sure about the taste.
Bindweed has got into one of the compost heaps - not a happy thought. I was debating with myself how to get rid of it, and came across an idea in America - using vinegar as a weedkiller. I'm NOT entirely sure about this yet, but want to find out more.
And it's time to order the catalogues!
Sunday, September 21st, 2003
Didn't get to the allotment today - youngest has appendix pains!
Sunday, September 28th, 2003
What an amazing September it's been! Working without a shirt for a couple of hours this afternoon.
Still digging potatoes - the Sante this weekend. After a summer of complete neglect and drought, I'm getting double the yield compared with the cossetted, watered, and fed Sante of last year. Big enough for baked potatoes this evening - and instead of one sack, it looks as if I'll have two this year. And a beautifully clean crop.
It's amazing just how deep the dryness goes - even last night's heavy rain hasn't penetrated more than 6 inches, and below that the soil is bone dry.
Took the chance to sow another couple of beds in alfalfa - a bit late, but with September being so mellow this year, I might get off with it.
Spent a bit of time watching the birds in the trees - somewhere during the week I read about birds going for fruit that was the right size for their beak structure. Sure enough, that's exactly what was happening. Flocks of starlings weighing down the elder boughs, and very discreet thrushes flitting through the hawthorns. But a lot of the rowans have already shed their fruit - I wonder what that means for the birds in the winter.
The Weather Outlook suggests as a long-term forecast
- for October, warmer than average days, earlier frosts, and lower than average rainfall;
- for November, temperatures below average, with the prospect of an unusually cold spell in the second half.
We'll see!