I’ve tried overwintered green manure before but have always done it a little too late meaning they had not had chance to get established before the cold weather and short days come. This time, I bought Field Beans and sowed this today, which is about the right time to do it (I think I normally leave it until the end of September). A bit of an expense but the bag of beans will last a number of years. I sowed in rows along any bare soil that it likely to stay that way for the winter – hopefully it will be just a week or two until I see them starting to germinate. Around about mid March, I’ll chop them down and incorporate into the soil, along with the roots.

Having harvested the borllotti beans the other week I must have dropped some as there was a small borlotti bean plant starting to grow. I left it there.

While the plot is getting bare, it is looking tidy and healthy. All during summer it has looked dry and suffering and so it is nice to see green bits again and less of a dusty feel. The rain and hot weather has finally allowed the various carrot seed I have sown during the summer months to germinate. A bit late now, and also the same place I sowed turnips when I thought the carrots would never do anything.

The small sprout plants are now much larger and needed re-netting to give them a bit more room. They are in between the tomato plants and the pumpkins, of which there seems to be the start of a small pumpkin starting to grow.

The plot next to us was tended by an old friendly bloke but we have not seen him all this year and his plot has not been touched. It joins what seems to be the majority of plots around us and it’s a shame as his once really productive blackberries are now all over run by grape vine. Before it disappears totally I have had a go at taking cuttings and planting in our plot. I’ve put in five cuttings and I’ll see if any of them take. The book says it is very easy to take cuttings, we’ll see.