Well, after a pretty dark,damp and pretty miserable October we seem to be literally swimming halfway into November already. The rain is relentless and the accompanying winds bite. We’ve cleared down the very last of the tomatoes with a few surviving to pop into a chutney and the chillies are looking somewhat jaded and really…..well…spent is possibly the best word. A stark difference from last season when we were still picking and plucking at the end of November!!

It’s been a tricky season at best but the plants despite drab and cool weather….followed by searing sun and unbearable heat….and plummeting back down to cool and dank once again…have soldiered on regardless and gone on to yield their effortless bounty of beauty . so I guess we can’t complain…..however …all good things must come to an end and it’s time to clear down and clear out and start the prep for a new season.

In other news on the holding….garlic

Now this really is our nemesis here. We’ve never been able to grow it successfully and we’ve tried inside,outside,polytunnel and tubs…..zilch….nada….zero success….

The poly was way too hot to be fair…the raised beds too dense, quite often we’ve lost to rotting over the winter months as the ground has been too wet following an October sowing. However, I have been reading…and it’s always dangerous….as is a little knowledge….that sowing in 3” pots and transplanting in the Spring may alleviate my issue of losing my crop to sodden ground….then I read they don’t like root disturbance…ugh…there’s always something….

So, here’s the plan. I thought half and half…after all what have i got to lose…..I lose every other year and something sometime has to give right ? So I’m going to plant half in a bed I’ve topped with spent media from my poly pots…it’s grittier and more free draining so may not compact as much…and some in experimental pots….let’s see how we fair.

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