IT'S RAINING PLUMS

Fruitfullness is upon us again and I’m feeling so guilty about the plums.  It’s been a wonderful year for fruit - the weather’s been just right.  The blossom set well in spring and then we had a wet, but fruit ‘plumpening’ August and consequently I’m squelching in them here.  They are native hedgerow plums called Bullace, a name that seems to cover a multitude of size and colour - we have yellow/green ones, plum coloured and a dark little damson type.  I normally make chutney and jam, but we’ve  still got masses left from 2 years ago.  So I shall be dousing some in sugar and vodka - strangely no one turns their nose up at this once it’s been bottled....

THE DRIFT TO DARKNESS

We’ve had the autumn equinox now,  the time at which there’s equal daylight and darkness - approximately (it’s a complicated thing astronomically).  This year there was also a full moon, a proper harvest moon.  I’m not sure how significant this is these days, as, apart from Harvest Festival, the shortening of days and the gradual drift into darkness of the northern hemisphere, no-one really comments, but in pagan times, when we were completely governed by the seasons and the weather, we would have been celebrating something called Mabon, the last festival celebrating the harvest season.

PEST WARDEN

The variety of marigold (right) is called 'Mr Stripey’ and originated from a plant that had self sown in someone’s garden.  I’m not keen on bedding schemes), Mr Stripey grows to around 1m in height  does the same job of warding off pests, but looks very different.  Unfortunately I planted too many in the greenhouse with my tomatoes, where they’ve frightened off the tomatoes along with the pests....

MAGIC BEANS

These beans are beautiful enough to make into jewellery - I can quite see how Jack swapped his cow for some.  Leave a few pods on your plants to collect at the end of the season, keep them somewhere dry and frost free over the winter and next year you’ll have new plants for free - magic beans indeed.

There are lots of seeds that you can collect at this time of the year.  Choose a dry day and make sure the seeds are ripe and ready to collect.  Store until you are ready to sow them in paper bags or envelopes - not plastic or they’ll be more likely to rot if you’re keeping them for a long time.  Some seeds like to be sown while they’re fresh, but most will keep for ages as long as they don’t get damp.  It’s hugely satisfying to sow seed you’ve collected yourself.

BUTTERFLY SUMMER

There have been a lot of butterflies around this summer and I love them all bar one - well 2 actually, but they get lumped together as one and are  hard to tell apart.  I’m talking about the Large and Small White cabbage butterflies.  I do feel mean to be at war with such beautiful creatures, but the damage their caterpillars do to every kind of brassica, except the kale (all hail the kale!) makes me not just mean, but teeth gnashingly murderous.  I have dismally failed again this year to stop the attack, despite using the correct gauge of netting - somehow they’re getting in, but once in, they often can’t get out again and I have been found there, scrunching them into fluttery pieces.  You’ll think I’m a terrible person now if you don’t grow cabbages etc, but if you do, then I know you’ll understand.  I think we get more of them down here in the south.  The small white is a native species, but the Large White travels over from Europe - apparently huge clouds of them can be seen drifting across the channel to feast on Kent cabbages...