Friday 2 November 2012

Tidying up and harvesting

You would be so proud of me last weekend when I went to the lottie on both Saturday and Sunday :) The weather was doing okay so we needed to spend time there before it's just raining all. the. time. ... November, how did it get to be November already?!

Anyway, I started off in a good mood >

And then went over to the top of 14b and saw this>

It put me in an even better mood! Hahaha, there is nothing better than constructive destruction, it's my favourite activity. This mess is our Jerusalem Artichoke row and for a while now it's just been allowed to do whatever because basically, it's way up there at the end and it's easy to pretend it belongs to someone else *blush* But no longer, I have taken ownership of the disaster area that has been 14b and it is slowly being tamed.

After :)

Plus this is all from one plant. I know! no need to screw your face up, they aren't pretty. They have a look about them that only a mother could love, well I am that mother and I love them, see their potential and will have them roasted up and eaten soon. (Disclaimer - I do not have human children but I do realise that you don't eat them)

So as always happens to me when I do a big clear out and I have my head phones on (lucky it was just me and Andrew at the plots - I was singing Emeli Sande quite loud and probably very badly indeed) I got carried away. I started pulling a few weeds up and then ended up destroying one of the worst weed patches we have ever had. Up there between 'the big bed', the compost bins and next door's shed isn't somewhere we tend to go often, especially as this year the pumpkins were in a different place, not that bed.

So I shall very happily and with a bit of pride it must be said, show you a before and after :) There is more to do but I had so many weed flowers up my nose I felt dizzy and we have also decided that we need some sort of netting fence/ windbreaker up there too so why dig it twice?

On Sunday I moved on to the bottom of 14b and ripped out the beans. Oh it was joyful to grab handfuls of bean stalks and rip, tear and pull them from their bean pole wigwams. I imagine it all looked a little horrific from afar, as if I was fighting for my life, but nope I was just having fun.
We got some Borlotti beans from the far wigwam but not much, it was a pretty disappointing year really. I have saved seed though for the first time ever off this. And Andrew has eaten a good handful in some soup and he's still alive, I think he actually likes them.
 
The runner beans? They all just went into the compost, seriously there are only so many a person can eat and they just kept coming and going stringy really quickly, it was a battle, they won. Though I guess I had the final say.

8 comments:

  1. Of course I'm proud of you, sweetie!!! You did a great job! And it sounds like you had a great time! It looks like Maggie enjoyed too! :)
    Much love and happy November!
    xoxo

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  2. I love the phrase constructive destruction, laughed out loud at the disclaimer and went awwwww at Maggie pointing proudly to the 'after'. Thanks for sharing. Miss J xx

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  3. well done - and yet again...'will you come and clear up my garden please?' xxx

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  4. Well you put us to shame - it's all looking great.

    Jerusalem artichokes are thugs we ended up getting rid of the ones we grew - we weren't really keen on them as a vegetable. Did they have any adverse effect on your digestive system?

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  5. glad to see you happy and busy at the lottie, but I'd love to see how Andrew's garden is coming on at the house?

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  6. Annuk you are always so supportive xx Maggie had a blast - we forgot her lead so she was free for a wee while and then we made a lead of wire and rope, but she was still happy enough :)

    Debbie - My Miss J! I really must write to you and catch up!

    Rosemary you know I would love to come down again, but alas it is just too far for a quick nip :( MOVE CLOSER! xxx

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  7. Sue my dear I simply can't think what you mean about the artichokes (hehehehe) no 'effects' yet :)

    And Diana - I still try to get some photos posted before the gardens look terrible - thank you for reminding me xx

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  8. I LOVE your before and afters. It's so encouraging to see progress. And that first shot is marvelous. The plot looks fantastic as well as your lovely smile :-)

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