Jobs for September
I hope by the time I come to write the October post that I will have enjoyed many more delicious apple crumbles like the one I have just finished! Needless to say that the apple trees I inherited on the plot are providing a great harvest with the promise of much more to come.
In between stewing apples and eating apple crumble, this month I’ll also be:
Collecting windfalls. Not sure about the weather where you are but it has been WINDY here of late. And with that come a heck of a lot of windfall fruits. I’ve tried to collect as many of the apples as I can before they start to rot, and am happy to see that some of the local wildlife have been enjoying the fallen damsons… I hope that they’ll save some for me!
*Update from mid-September - I managed to harvest a single handful of damsons and make two tablespoons of compote… despite being small in quantity, it was big in taste. Delicious!
Enjoying the blooms. My roses have been blooming for some time now and I know they will continue well into this month. This year is the first year I have successfully grown dahlias too and Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’ has made the perfect cut flower companion to my white and pink roses.
Composting. Now that my peas and beans are spent and I’ve got a lot of other dead foliage to get rid of I will be topping up my compost heap. I can’t wait to start reaping the benefits of the compost in years to come.
Cutting the hedges. My allotment plot is surrounded by a hawthorn hedge that we are responsible for keeping under control. I must admit that this task is much more daunting than I thought it would be, but now that the nests are all empty it is safe to get those hedges cut back and neatened up. I shall be trimming the large hedge at the back of my garden too. I find a neatly trimmed hedge such a satisfying sight.
Picking my pumpkin. Yes, you read that right. After planting numerous plants out at the start of last month, I am left with one solitary pumpkin! I will continue to feed and water my precious pumpkin baby and then harvest at the end of the month so I can take it home to cure before hopefully enjoying its fruit around Halloween time.