September marks a big shift, with the race to keep on top of all manner of growth slowing. As summer draws to a close, harvesting, storage & preserving demands centre stage, with deadheading continuing as regular interval acts.
Basking in late summer sun
Golden yellows and warm mulberry shades of autumn combine with perennial pink & purple hues.
Wings & whiskers
September’s pinks and reds set earthy browns of off beautifully.
Silky threads and diamond jewels
The softer light of late summer and damper air of early autumn accentuate natural sparkles.
A deceptively strong spider’s web studded with raindrops resembles a sparkly net, stretched midway up blades of amply watered grass.
A well used kneeling mat…
It’s been a mighty busy year, as the kneeler (and the gardener’s many pairs of kneeless trousers) show. Borrowed here by the new gardener’s assistant; his back to the afternoon’s work on the old bonfire site: Now home to a huge rabbit warren – and a great experiment area to see what vegetables, fruits and wild flowers can live on the ashy site, with it’s over enthusiastic fluffy pruners.
The other challenge is for our new Gardeners Assistant to learn to live alongside the rabbits themselves. And the feral cat, chickens, and sheep. We’re aiming for happy harmony above instinct. He hasn’t met the deer yet, though they’ve been almost daily visitors since his arrival.
It’s well known that gardeners have to be optimists 🙂
Cropping & storing
This spring, when selecting seeds, we decided to explore the huge world of cabbage. What a voyage of discovery – from the deeply textured, almost black leaves of Italian Calvadero Nero, to shiny smooth, truly buttery ‘Butterball’, and sweet tasting, neatly ‘Pointed Cabbage’; a mass of which is now gently fermenting as we make our first vat of Kimchi.
Carrots are always a winner, and so versatile. But for the first time, I’ve used their tasty, deliciously green tops en masse in various dishes too. They are said to contain an astonishing six times more vitamin C than the ‘carrot’ itself, as well as lots of potassium, calcium and phytonutrients.
The beans (green & purple French beans from seeds saved from last years crop, plus newly purchased runner seeds) have been bountiful, with pickings so far amounting to over 17 lb of runners and 12 lb each of purple & green french beans. All blanched and frozen. We’re not quite ‘winter ready’, but getting there..!
Who needs teething sticks?!
‘Waste not, want not…’
“The truth is: the natural world is changing, and we are totally dependent on that world.
It provides our food, water and air.
It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.”
Sir David Attenborough
The Oaks 
Isn’t he a sweetheart? Great to see so much bounty, Emma.
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Thanks Jo – it is amazing what a tiny seed can produce in just one season!
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LOVE the apples, your puppy, your flowers, in fact everything about this post. Your photographs are stunning, I’m now following you and look forward to reading and enjoying your future posts. I’m just across the water on the Isle of Wight so we enjoy similar weather but I downsized a few years ago (house and garden) and am struggling to change my gardening ways. I still imagine I have a half-acre when I visit a nursery or cadge cuttings from friends, but truth be told, i have a miniscule garden and an overflowing balcony into and onto which I cram far too much.
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Thank you Maria – and I so understand about changing gardening ways… I used to have quite a manicured garden in London… even trimmed the grass edging with a knife, loved my topiary and lots of flowers – all so different now, on such a different scale and learning to live alongside the wild rabbits and deer… Your Isle of Wight patch sounds lovely – and I get your ‘overflowing balcony’ is enjoyed by everyone who can see it too! Ex
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Your garden is stunning, as are your photos and produce, but what I love most of all is Oscar. I can’t quite imagine how he will look when he is fully grown but obviously very handsome!
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Ah thank you so much June – it would be lovely Icpf we saw you and your handsome boy when out for a walk one day!
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Yes, it would be lovely! Zeph’s a typical Border Collie, in many ways, a lovely bouncing bag of nerves but I wouldn’t be without him. He’s the opposite to my very calm lurcher. I wonder what Oscar would make of Zeph? 😂
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What a beautiful garden, I love the variety! I’m rubbish at knowing what different flowers are called but they’re all pretty and I particularly like the bright yellows and the white daisies. I admittedly did have to skip past the spider photo pretty quickly as they give me the creeps! 😂
It’s great you’re able to use the carrot tops. It’s pretty amazing to think we never, ever have, and yet they’re packed with goodness. Sounds like you’ll have plenty of beans ready. My dad gave those a miss this year to focus on tomatoes and other bits, but he always used to enjoy picking them as they typically grow really well. Other things can be rather hit and miss in our garden, especially perhaps with the British weather.
Caz xx
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Thanks so much Caz – I agree, it doesn’t really matter what flowers are called – they’re all so pretty. Especially the daisies!
You’re so right about our Great British Weather! Well done to your dad re his produce this year – I’m afraid all my tomatoes got blight as it was such a warm, damp summer. First time I’ve experienced blight and it’s not good. But I managed to save most of the toms in time to make Green Tomato Chutney, which we eat in bucket loads!
You’re right about carrot tops – there are so many highly tasty and nutritious plants / parts of plants that we usually overlook in terms of a food source, but which are actually nutritionally as good or better than the food we buy – and equally or more tasty! xx
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Wow so beautiful post. I like vegetables farm. I like harvesting. Beautiful apple. Iam interested to grow vegetables. Can I do doing work there ?
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I’m glad you like the photos and are interested in growing vegetables – it’s such an interesting thing to do… and there is always so much work to get done – it’s great that you are interested in growing!
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Thank you so much. Please you help me. You guide me How can doing there grow the vegetables.
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What space do you have and what vegetables do you want to grow – it’s a great idea to have a go! 🙂
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Splendid produce beautifully described and photographed.
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Thank you Derrick – it’s super tasty too!! 👍
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Amazing photos. 🙂
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This is a wonderful post. I really need to get on and make another batch of kimchi. It’s alchemy really, isn’t it? I tend to use carrot tops as an ingredient in pesto, so am intrigued that you have other uses. I’ll have to have an investigate!
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I think this is a great time of the year for making Kimchi! Wow thanks for the tip re carrot top pesto – I can’t wait to plant more carrots now! We will certainly make that next year – nettle pesto is a real winner & it’s good to have another ‘free’ base for delicious home made pesto 👍 🙂
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Nettle pesto. Wild garlic pesto. Is there no end to this free food pesto?
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I guess like many things, it’s as broad as our imaginations!
I’m looking forward to carrot top pesto next year 🙂
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Beautiful Emma.
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Thank you! It is a beautiful time of year 🙂
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Very beautiful it is. absolutely.
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