Knowing your onions.

Sunday 12th October.


Early in the season I had to convert Plot 1 into an onion patch in an attempt to rid myself of the pesky Carrot Beetles which were still in there from the year before. It seems to have worked, I've seen very few of the beetles for months now. But I've decided that, for the time being at least, this plot is going to stay that way.
So, I had a tidy up in there, added some compost and gave it a digging over...............


The plants look healthy.................................

........despite me ignoring them all season.
I then pulled one, just to see how they were.

Small, but tasty and a handy crop to be had when the rest of the garden is dormant.
These small bulbs form at the top of the plant

As the season progressed they fell off. I gathered them and planted a single row along the back edge of the plot, up against the shed wall. Some had already started to grow.............

.....and were replanted in a more suitable location.
The Brussels Sprouts plants have been under attack.

Some leaves have been heavily chewed, some completely eaten.
I now know who is to blame.........................

This fellow, and his hundreds of buddies which are around at the moment.
Good news! My first volunteer Tomato is ready.

Not bad for free eh? The plant that produced this fine looking fruit grew out of the compost I applied to one of the plots earlier. It's has to be from one of my seeds of last year so is probably a Big Red. Pure bred or mongrel, it's welcome on the table.
The Kohlrabi is starting to bulb up in Plot 5. I've never tasted this strange looking veggie and hope that it's successful enough for me to try.
The name comes from two German words. Kohl meaning Cabbage and Rabi meaning Turnip.
The rest of Plot 5 is doing well. As you can see.....................

....it's like a jungle in there.
I'm delighted with the progress of the Chard and cropped some to have with our dinner.
The leaves have almost doubled in size in a couple of weeks. This is another green I'm hoping will supply the table over the winter.
Last week, did I say that the Tomatoes were about over and done with??

Did I??


Did I really? I think I was mistaken. Although the vines look ragged and untidy the fruit just keeps on coming.
But Autumn is creeping up on us for sure. The trees are shedding their leaves...............

......and the Persimmon fruits are starting to turn a delightful orange colour.
Evening skies are dark.................

......with a slight chance of rain perhaps.
Time for dinner

Homemade Quiche, Rosemary Potatoes and garden fresh Chard sauteed with garlic.
Visit my wife's cooking blog at http://www.range-warfare.blogspot.com/ for this and other tasty recipes.
A delightful close to the weekend