Doc and I have been away for a couple of weeks, first to Dorset and Hampshire, visiting Number One Daughter and then to Derry in Northern Ireland, visiting Number One Son and family. We had a great time and the weather was amazing for both trips. We delved into the deepest recesses of the suitcase to find short sleeved tee-shirts and wore sunglasses most days. The bonus was to sit outside during the evenings, enjoying sunshine, warmth and flowers. How strange our weather is! The last half of August felt like autumn and no sooner had we got settled into September, than summer arrived again.
We needed a holiday because in a couple of week’s time I will be having surgery on my painful and troublesome foot. The diary is cleared in readiness, I have invested in a new non-slip bath mat and the freezer is stuffed with produce from the garden for Doc to transform into comforting meals whilst I am ‘off feet’ – though I have hardly been ‘on feet’ for the last 18 months. It will be quite a while until I dare to attempt to walk down the garden path but if the operation is a success I will, hopefully, be able to look forward to joining Doc on the plot next season, without a walking stick.
Doc is at this very moment continuing to ‘put the garden to bed’. Today he has swept and tidied the greenhouse and cleaned the windows. Earlier, he popped back to the house for a cuppa and said there is about 50% more light getting through the glass! It is important to keep a greenhouse clean otherwise pests and disease can take hold. Giving it a spring clean in the autumn (!) before you fill it with overwintering plants and equipment is a good idea. I hate the fact we stuff such a lovely space with cloches, hosepipes and the arch for the beans but if we leave them outside, a harsh winter would damage them. Doc has filled a cold frame with watering cans. If we leave them empty they blow around the garden and if we fill them up with water, we face cleaning out green slime in the spring.
Doc tells me that the compost bin is hot and smells of decay – but in a good way. He has gradually been adding spent green material from the vegetable plot and mixes it with straw, cardboard and anything brown he can find. He says it is turning the compost that makes it work and he does this regularly with a fork. Mind you, not everything goes into the compost. For instance, the asparagus ferns must be burned otherwise the asparagus beetle will take even more of a hold. (If you have any other tips to get round this problem, please let me know!)
There is still produce arriving in the kitchen, reminding me that the garden has not quite gone to sleep. We are eating courgettes every other day, though they have definitely outstayed their welcome. There are green tomatoes on trays on the kitchen table which gradually turn red. They are very welcome, as are bowls brimming with glossy black brambles. Doc has put cooking and eating apples in old banana boxes, lined with newspaper, in the garage. This takes longer than you would think because each fruit has to be carefully placed so it does not roll over and not touch its neighbour. If it does, any rot can spread to the rest of the crop. The garlic is strung up around the rafters (so we should be clear of witches at least) and there are 6 large butternut squash to look forward to. Doc is eagerly anticipating digging up the first leeks but he will have to be more patient for parsnips. They are best eaten after the first frosts because they become sweeter as the weather gets colder.
Doc does keep bringing me parsley. I have never known a year when it has been so prolific and I groan when another bunch arrives. I use it in salsa, toss it into steamed vegetables and have frozen handfuls of it in bags to use this coming winter. However, there is still more to come and I am wondering if I could put it in a vase as a cut flower! The vibrant green is uplifting and the curly leaves have a wonderful texture. I have come across a recipe for parsley soup which makes good use of all that vitamin C but I am doubtful it will taste as good as it sounds. I may try making parsley pesto instead.
After the driest September we can remember, it is raining on and off today and the garden is giving a little sigh of relief. The leaves are falling and Doc says that although there is a lot of dead heading to do in the flower borders, there are fewer new blooms taking their place.
Sometimes I feel cheated that I have not been able to feel the full benefit and joy of such a wonderful summer and delightful autumn because I have been in so much pain, for so long. However, if my op is a success, I won’t mind being outside in a howling gale, torrential rain or freezing cold. I will be deliriously happy to be a mad, eccentric woman gardening in the depths of winter. I won't mind the weather, just being there will be enough.
