October 2018 garden notes

Artichokes (and comfrey between them), Oct 2018

Roots

Harvested a handful of small beets (tasty);  another handful remain, but even smaller and probably not worth the effort by now.

No celery or leeks harvested this month:  both still growing.

Peas and beans

Harvested one small handful of runner beans per week throughout this month--even fewer French beans;  both pretty much finished by the end of October.  Left a couple pods on runner beans to save for seed.

Brassicas

Purple broccoli, Brussels sprouts, curly kale all growing strongly, but none harvested this month;  all started to flop over and need staking (only staked a couple so far).

One cauliflower resolutely forming a head;  the rest have disappeared.  Regrowth from earlier spring cabbages forming smallish heads.  Picked the one kohlrabi with an acceptably-sized bulb;  another three spotted, but no real bulbs to speak of. 

One small Savoy cabbage cutting still growing;  half of the Savoys (from seed) planted at the allotment have wilted terribly--root fly?  Don't know.  The rest are good sized, though not forming heads yet.  A couple old plants have regrowth;  harvested a few outer leaves this month. 

Planted out 18 spring cabbages in main Brassicas bed and six in the cold frame.  Sowed a tray of cauliflower seed in the cold frame.

Miscellaneous

Slow growth from youngest leaf lettuces (in planters);  self-sown lambs and miners lettuces and arugula also growing slowly.  Harvesting a little of each throughout this month.  A few smallish spring onions left in planters.

Still harvesting a handful of achocha per week throughout October--the vines of which have taken over most of the Misc bed.  Finished picking Aztec broccoli mid-month, to try and let the plants go to seed.

Harvested nearly all of the regular tomatoes, and just a couple more cherry tomatoes this month--a few of these still on plants by the end of the month.  Harvested a couple ripe chili peppers.  Picked one ripe melon (lemon sized).

Picking chard throughout the month, both as salad greens and for cooking.

A bit late for raspberries, Oct 2018

Fruit

Harvested all the Sparta apples, with a couple dozen left in storage by the end of October.  Harvested all the almonds.

More flowers formed on the yellow raspberry, with a couple tiny fruits too;  probably too late in the year to ripen.

Leaves beginning to fall on fruit trees and bushes by the end of the month.

Perennials and herbs

Picked a tray of mint to dry for tea.  Harvested a small amount of basil over the month (very nice in scrambled eggs).  Most herbs died/gone dormant by the end of October.

Old growth on artichokes died back, but plenty of new growth from the base this month.  A very small amount of growth spotted from the rhubarb, but asparagus is unknown.  Harvested a few young sorrel leaves for salads this month, though most of the plants have died back now.