Sunday, 3 September 2023

Nature In My Garden

SEPTEMBER

I was weeding and planting some spring flowers in pots when these 2 grasshoppers  jump on my garden shoes and decided to have some fun. Sheeeesh 😜😁😊

In July's post I've written about the Mason Wasp that found home in my greenhouse under a tray, so today I've checked under the tray, well not really under, because the tray is transparent (was chicken breast in it before, and now it's a tray for my pots) it showed the 2 Mason Wasp cells, where the larvae is feeding on caterpillars, growing big and strong. 
The top pics show the Mason Wasp cells, the other pics are just visiting other wildlife (hover flies, a very drunk on nectar bee, tortoiseshell butterfly). 
This is Charlotte, as I named her, she's a garden orb spider. Very useful little thing to have in one's garden. I spotted today a grey and a brown one. 






My Garden

September

2nd of September

As Autumn draws in my garden is still producing amazing crops. Chillies will be strung up on a long twine and dried. Last year ones are going to be ground in chilli flakes.
I spite of foggy mornings and weeds my garden still looks amazing and produces delightful crops. 
Took those pics today (4th of Sept) just as the fog was lifting my hubby pointed out a spiderweb on his car mirror. Later on when got home managed to take the other ones. The toms are chocolate cherry and the cuc was one I've missed the other day. 

7th of September

Once summer crops like tomatoes are near finished for the season, there's plenty of empty space to fill up with some veg that we'd use during autumn and winter. Also it's still the time to sow some perennials. 
Today I sow winter cauliflower, cabbage, corn salad and perpetual spinach and some leftover onion sets. They'll grow on in the greenhouses along with some carrots, radishes, lettuce and onion sets. I've never grew these things in the greenhouses, but it seems to me such a waste to leave so much space empty during autumn and winter. Even better since our winters are still mild I'd be able to grow some veg and experiment with other. Of course I'd be covering thesmall greenhouse with bubble wrap and create a greenhouse in the greenhouse (more about this on a later date), which works amazingly well. Also my little wonder on a vine, as I call this lil fruit of lufa seems to be growing. 😁😊

9th September

Planting, sowing, harvesting continues inspire of the heat wave we are having (not complaining, it's great). Last of the tomatoes were harvested, the vines discarded, the green tomatoes will be ripening inside. Also had a "huge" crop of pop corn and sweet corn (see pic of the popcorn). πŸ˜‚πŸŒ½πŸΏ. I might get a handful of popcorn out of that cob. Sweetcorn did great this year, we had a few cobs of those too which were boiled and smothered with butter. I also harvested the last of my runner beans as I have enough in the freezer to last me through winter. Also harvested aubergines and made my usual summer curry with chicken. Also had some old runner beans that are good only for seeds, they'll be sowed into pots, they when strong enough into their final spot in the raised beds next year. 
Perennial seedling and seed sowing continues in the greenhouse with some frozen coke. That makes life a bit easier. 
The weather person says heatwave slowly getting to the end, and few showers will be possible in places. That's ok, I suppose, as long as we still get a bit of warmth. Let the cold creep in starting with November. Wishful thinking, we'll see. 

15th September 

Overcast was today and bit on the chilly side. I saw some sparrow fledglings perched on the fence, parents still feeding them. I wonder if they'd get strong and fat enough to survive the migration? Most of the sparrows are gone, I think. These must be the last round of that pair's chicks. Poor things... I hope Autumn will be kind and provide enough food for them to survive and get strong enough to endure their rough journey. 
However things noticeably are changing in my garden too. Tomatoes in the big greenhouse have finished cropping. Vines removed, leftover green toms, now, are ripening inside. In the small greenhouse there are still toms cropping their hearts out. 
The tomatoes shoots I cut from the toms in the big greenhouse have nice roots now. They'll be planted Monday, and with a bit of luck they'll give me a crop or 2, before the frost destroys them. Some of the winter veg seeds are up and growing happily. So are the green onion sets, and the autumn cropping raspberries are full of huge fruit. 
Some of the perennial seedlings got planted in their own pots, where they'll stay over winter. I noticed 2 strong, bushy basil plants, leftovers from the basil I planted with the toms, so I left them in situ, and I'll use the leaves when I need them. The little luffa and the aubergines still growing, especially the aubergines still producing fruit. 








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