As you've probably noticed most of the plants (tomatoes, chillies, courgettes, squash etc) have been dug up and consigned to the composter. All that remains are the purple podded beans (the success of the year) and some nasturtiums.
The present mild spell has created a window for planting new crops to occupy the beds for the winter season. A visit to Terwins Seeds on Bury St Edmunds market provided some very handy plug plants: cabbage, broad beans, pea shoots and lettuce, all of which were a decent size, which should see them thriving before the temperature drops. The idea of planting now is that the plants should establish themselves and grow very slowly over the winter, giving them a head start when spring arrives in March. It should also mean that the broad bean growing tips avoid the curse of greenfly, as they are small and at their most vulnerable before the greefly season.
Still to be planted are the onions and the pea shoots.
I was helped yesterday by Simon from The London Cycle Workshop and his friend Sue. To tell the truth, I sort of messed about while they did most of the work - I could get used to this supervising lark! Sue planted an entire bed of (Solent Wight) garlic while Simon planted broad beans and lettuce. We are hoping to hold a cycle workshop where Belleville pupils can bring their bikes to school one Sunday and learn about bike safety and how to clean and look after their bikes. Could this be the birth of the Belleville Bicycle Club?
We were watched by the new addition to the Belleville Veg Garden, the beady eyed Alberto. His job is to scare off the foxes (ha!) and to keep a look out for strawberry thieves.
This fleece is there mainly to keep the foxes off the beds. They like to dig for worms and slugs which apparently make up a major part of their diet.
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