Adventures of a Laura: September 2022

WHAT. A. MONTH.

September has been SO good! Almost as busy and productive as March 2021 when I first took on this plot. This blog is a long one because so much stuff has been done. Wahooo! The great autumn/winter to do list is gradually being crossed off, so that’s good. It might all be done by the end of October!

September to do list:

· Finish painting the wood

· Start prepping beds for winter. Weed, mulch, cover over. I want to get most of the beds done this month, so that’s about 11 or 12 areas. Not much, then!

· Dig the pond

· Fix the carrot bed

· Dig and turn compost. I am planning to use the stuff at the bottom to fill my beds when I’ve made them deeper with the painted timber, so I need to turn it this month.

BRACE YOURSELVES FOR THE TO-DONE LIST. It’s big. It’s huge! It was expensive and knackering, but it’s oh so good.

Dug over compost heap and moved most of it into the other bin so I can access the usable stuff at the bottom

Added three lots of shredded paper and cardboard to the mix

Tidied and sorted shed

Sorted out crappy timber so I can start to dispose of it

Dug out calendula seedlings and replanted under the fruit trees

Dug out gladioli and replanted

Sorted out rubbish

Weeded & cleared the polytunnel in prep for polytunnel overhaul

Finished painting timber with lots of help from Momma P

Ordered more timber thanks to Momma P

Painted that too, thanks to Momma P!

Harvested 3 almonds off my tree (first ever harvest)

Hacked down thistle thicket by the poly

Cut back bramble at the back of shed

Cut back bramble along the path

Plot neighbour has also started clearing them all so I think he got the hint

Cleared, weeded, and dug over onion bed

Found some elephant garlic cloves that I thought had rotted, so they’re being dried ready to plant at the end of October

Written my list of what I want to grow next year

Cleared and mulched around almond tree (and then planted the calendula)

Cleared and weeded around apple tree (& planted calendula)

Ruined my favourite t shirt with green timber paint

It also soaked through to my bra so that’s now green

Collected sea holly, teasel, cornflower, foxglove, calendula seed

Cleared, weeded, dug over, put down cardboard and topped up with fresh peat compost in the L-shaped bed, and replanted the herbs. Need to finish it.

Weeded the messy brassica bed

Made frames for beds – 8 so far! Only 3 more to do.

Fixed the carrot bed

Made a new bed by the pear tree and half-filled using homemade compost

Extended leek bed into an 8ft-er to make better use of the space

Relocated the arch across two beds, and braced it. Am going to get more and make a bit of a tunnel.

Removed two small square beds from near the car park area and replaced with one long 6ft bed, double depth

Made a new small square double depth bed near the shed and half-filled with homemade compost

Transplanted strawberries and chives, replanted around apple and pear trees

Dug the pond!! And lined it all in one day

Planted the new square bed with feverfew, calendula, red dead nettle, strawberry, and ragwort

Moved spoil heap (from pond digging) and used it to bulk fill four raised beds

Put a stake in ready for the door on the compost heap that I haven’t made yet

Emptied a leaky water butt into the pond

Cleared and prepped a bed ready for garlic

Planted a donated apple tree and put flower bulbs around it

And also lots of other things like

- Harvesting apples

- Picking and cutting more flowers and herbs to dry

- Watched the birdies lots

I'm well pleased with myself and everything that Momma and I have got done this month. October I might have a rest, but if not here's the to do list...

October to do list:

· Buy peat free compost and start filling the beds up ready for winter crops

· Sort out the polytunnel. Old cover off and cut up, new cover on

· Make a gate for the compost bin and hang it

· Plant garlic cloves and maybe onion sets

· Plant more bulbs