As we start into September, the first signs of summer making way for autumn begin to emerge. Here in the garden we have started to harvest some of our vegetables. Already, we have used two drills of peas, while our broad beans and runner beans are all ready to be harvested. The onions are also saved and ready to store.
We sowed out the last of the butterhead lettuce into little covered tunnels. These can be covered with clear plastic when the weather turns cold. The iceberg lettuce will soon be ready for planting. But watch out for the hungry slugs as after the summer drought they are now out in force. We spread shingle around the beds as we’ve found they won’t cross this barrier.
Organic slug killer pellets can also be used. Wheat bran is also effective as they love it and it decays them, though not a nice way to go I admit. But then again, they should not venture into our garden. They have no sympathy for me when I find entire rows of seedlings munched overnight leaving rows of grey stalks. We have to expect slugs to visit especially during and after showery weather when they can travel from the fields all around the garden.
Potatoes
Our first drill of early potatoes have been dug out. I can’t brag about their quantity but they were lovely balls of flour. We didn’t expect them to be so good after such a long drought. We couldn’t water them as much as we’d have liked as we were banned from using our mains water hosepipe here.
At the end of August we always collect elderberries from the hedges around the countryside.
We use them to make into a refreshing drink to be stored for later use. It’s very easy to make and here’s the recipe:
1 Collect as many berries as you like and shed them from the stalks. This is easy when they are really ripe. 2 Use a large saucepan and fill with enough water until the berries are covered. 3 Then cook the contents until they are soft. When cooked enough, leave to cool and then pour through a muslin bag overnight. 4 Measure the resulting juice and pour into a saucepan. 5 Bring to the boil and add 1lb of sugar to each pint of juice. 6 Bring to a hard boil for about 30 minutes or until the juice reduces a little. 7 Store in well-sealed bottles or jars. If available, store in a fridge. This makes a lovely cordial to add to fruit salad. It is very good for you as it contains lots of nutrients and with all of the hot weather there is plenty of flavour.
The sunny weather has also left behind a lot of garden flower seeds that can be stored in paper bags to be sown during spring time next year.
It is still a busy time on farms, think of safety no matter what as an accident only takes a second. I hope to see some of my readers at the Irish Farmers Journal stand at the ploughing. Happy gardening.
Read more
Gardening in a drought
Reaping rewards in the garden
As we start into September, the first signs of summer making way for autumn begin to emerge. Here in the garden we have started to harvest some of our vegetables. Already, we have used two drills of peas, while our broad beans and runner beans are all ready to be harvested. The onions are also saved and ready to store.
We sowed out the last of the butterhead lettuce into little covered tunnels. These can be covered with clear plastic when the weather turns cold. The iceberg lettuce will soon be ready for planting. But watch out for the hungry slugs as after the summer drought they are now out in force. We spread shingle around the beds as we’ve found they won’t cross this barrier.
Organic slug killer pellets can also be used. Wheat bran is also effective as they love it and it decays them, though not a nice way to go I admit. But then again, they should not venture into our garden. They have no sympathy for me when I find entire rows of seedlings munched overnight leaving rows of grey stalks. We have to expect slugs to visit especially during and after showery weather when they can travel from the fields all around the garden.
Potatoes
Our first drill of early potatoes have been dug out. I can’t brag about their quantity but they were lovely balls of flour. We didn’t expect them to be so good after such a long drought. We couldn’t water them as much as we’d have liked as we were banned from using our mains water hosepipe here.
At the end of August we always collect elderberries from the hedges around the countryside.
We use them to make into a refreshing drink to be stored for later use. It’s very easy to make and here’s the recipe:
1 Collect as many berries as you like and shed them from the stalks. This is easy when they are really ripe. 2 Use a large saucepan and fill with enough water until the berries are covered. 3 Then cook the contents until they are soft. When cooked enough, leave to cool and then pour through a muslin bag overnight. 4 Measure the resulting juice and pour into a saucepan. 5 Bring to the boil and add 1lb of sugar to each pint of juice. 6 Bring to a hard boil for about 30 minutes or until the juice reduces a little. 7 Store in well-sealed bottles or jars. If available, store in a fridge. This makes a lovely cordial to add to fruit salad. It is very good for you as it contains lots of nutrients and with all of the hot weather there is plenty of flavour.
The sunny weather has also left behind a lot of garden flower seeds that can be stored in paper bags to be sown during spring time next year.
It is still a busy time on farms, think of safety no matter what as an accident only takes a second. I hope to see some of my readers at the Irish Farmers Journal stand at the ploughing. Happy gardening.
Read more
Gardening in a drought
Reaping rewards in the garden
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