Finishing and starting

Although it was so much work at the time, I'm sorry my cherry tomatoes are just about finished.  My plum tomatoes are also nearing their end, but while the numbers may be few, the sizes are great--at least ten pounds left I would guess.  And while my pickling cucumber vines are nearly all dried out, the very tips of them are still making small cucs--a couple ounces a week (I'm still topping up a 2.2 L jar in the fridge, not quite full).  I think I should make a second sowing of pickling cucs next year:  the first in mid spring and another in late spring/early summer.  I luckily have two overripe ones ready for next year's seed, and am leaving one of my salad cucumbers on the vine for seed too. 

I'm kind of amazed at how quickly my new fennel and kohlrabi are getting on, transplanted at the beginning of August;  these followed on from my spring kohlrabi.  I wasn't sure if this second (small) batch of kohlrabi would succeed as they were a bit spindly when they went in, but like the fennel they're looking very luxurious.  In fact the fennel itself is already swelling into bulbs;  can't wait to start eating it.

However, my newly seed beetroot bed looks mainly grassy--I can't see many beet seedlings and it's getting a bit late now.  Old seed?  Slugs?  Not sure, as the other newly seeded bed of turnips and winter radishes is growing well--all were sown on the same day.  If it turns out to be beet-less I'll sheet mulch it over winter--I might even drag one of my big pieces of old carpet down from the back of the allotment to try and kill off the grass.

I had originally planned on growing my spring cauliflowers in the kitchen garden over winter, but the plants were getting too big in their pots and rather than potting them on yet again, I put them down in gaps at the allotment.  I hope I don't regret this, as the last time I overwintered them at the allotment they were full of slugs--lots of large slugs wedged in between the inner stems of the heads.  I guess they got in there as little slugs and couldn't get out:  I did not enjoy washing those cauliflowers!

Instead of cauliflowers, I'll transplant out my Chinese cabbages and pak choi in the kitchen garden, though these will have to wait a little while longer until the zucs, salad cucs, early leeks and lettuce are finished.  And of course I have some more lettuce to go out too.