Allotment autumn planting

It's been another busy day with an early morning dog walk in the dark followed by breakfast, hoovering, clearing up and a 4 mile run leading to another dog walk in the woods. This was all leading up to my trip to the allotment at West Moors which I was slightly concerned about as the drizzle started and I didn't want to have to spend a few hours at the site getting soaked.

In the event it was fine, despite having to return to the motorhome a couple of times to shelter from the heavier showers. That's when having a nice space to sit and have a coffee is so welcome and it gave me the chance to bring back over 5kg of tomatoes, both ripe and green, which are essentially now for chutney. I've salted them with and put them with sliced onion overnight ahead of doing the chutney proper tomorrow. I also got yet more runner beans and spinach. There are still many more tomatoes waiting if required and so many squashes. I also dug the last of the potatoes at West Moors. There are more at Wimborne but that is it for West Moors. 

The main reason I wanted to spend time there was to get on with autumn planting and given how much the seedlings of some plants have struggled, I thought the beds needed plenty of compost. The great news was that the compost bin had worked its magic. I had emptied it and turned in previously when it was hopeless but the work earlier in the year had paid off. I have also been pouring lots of water in to get it going nicely and the compost was spot on, and plenty of it too.

I emptied the bin and used the wheelbarrow to spread it over the beds before starting to refill the bin with the spent runner bean plants. I'd taken them out to make more room and found the roots quite shallow. The beds seem quite compacted, the soil isn't nice and loose, as if it hasn't been turned for years, so a bit of digging is going to required.

Once I'd got the soil ready I was able to plant 40 broad bean seeds which will come up shortly and then over winter before cropping in the early spring. I also got in about half the onions, both traditional and red which will get a boost being in now and ready to harvset in early summer. It is great to have made a start and I still have the garlic to get in. 

The latter part of the day has been spent booking a May holiday at Sandford for my 60th birthday 'celebrations' and our 40th wedding anniversary knees up. It will be lovely to see lots of family there although my liver is already nervous.