Today at the plot, there was plenty to do, the first and most hazardous job of the day was venturing inside my dangerously overcrowded shed to collect the 50 or so garlic bulbs that have been drying in there since the end of July. Don’t get me wrong, my shed is not full of gardening tools, most of the stuff that is piled high in there is stuff that has been scavenged for making things at a future date, like the edition of the steel washing machine drum that will soon be an addition to my rocket stove when I turn it into an oven. There is also a load of bracken and assorted bits of twigs and branches stacked in the corner which will provide me with fuel to cook on at the plot over the winter, these twiggy bits were scrounged off other plot holders who seem to throw away an endless stream of useful resources.
The last few tomatoes
Meanwhile, in the poly tunnel I’ve picked the last few stray tomatoes that I had missed that were hiding amidst the jungle of decaying leaf and sun scorched branches. I will leave the remaining tomatoes in the polytunnel for two days to let them ripen up before taking them home and adding them to a pizza I’ve got planned for later in the week.
Seeds for a future
One of the great things about this years tomato crop apart from the diverse and wonderful tastes of all of the different varieties is the fact that I can use the seed from every variety that I have grown this year, of all of the heirloom varieties I have been trying over the last few years, all seem to do OK in the poly tunnel. I have all but stopped growing tomatoes outdoors to the ever changing weather we’ve been having the last decade.
Looking after the soil
The spent tomato plants and the soil they were living in are now part of one of my large raised beds where squashes corn and beans will be grown next year, I have mentioned soil building a little in earlier blogs, but this particular method I am using worked really well last year. This is a bed that I had covered with a layer of cardboard, followed by a layer of vegetable and plant off cuts, followed by a layer of manure next week that is delivered regularly from local stables.
Using this method last year I was able to grow a large amount of full sized potatoes followed by some beans and Italian squashes, it also keep troublesome plants at bay. There are many different ways of building soil and suppressing troublesome plants, if anyone reading this would like to share their methods or any other growing tips then please feel free.