We've had the first frost !

First thing that hit me yesterday was my poor pumpkin ! I thought someone had gone berserk with the weedkiller.

Then I was told that it was frost damage ! I knew it had been cold during the week, but I didn't realise how cold ! So poor pumpkin was given a bit of a haircut and hopefully will manage to ripen a bit more.

The tops of the Gigantes got it too but mostly they are looking fine ! I popped a trial pod and the beans are huge. I've got to read up on them and see what I have to do now.

I managed to turn the skinny bed round so it looks like it's in about it's final position. Trouble is I won't be able to get in there and sink it properly til the cabbage and swede have been lifted. Gave them both a haircut(to improve air circulation or just to make it look neater - I don't know :-D). And look at one of my lovely swedes ! About the size of my fist I guess.


The skinny bed is for runners next year and I'm thinking I can actually get two rows in there. Being extra deep, and going to fill it with loads of WRM when I ever get round to getting some, there should be sufficient nutrients to house about 14 plants. I'll have to move it forward a bit to get round by the fence to pick, but I think I can do it.
I screwed the fixings in for the cane/hoops supports. Quite a good trick I read somewhere and was praised by one of the gurus. He liked my weed suppressant paths too. Said they were neat !

Got to get some more pvc tubing but here's one bed ready to be filled with soil. I chucked a couple of bags of leaf mould over the base to pad it out a bit and will start filling it with spent grow bag and pot compost.

It was a lovely day, and really warm. Did some more panel painting and had a good hoe about. I want to get the front flower beds done over the weekend. I've got loads of spring bulbs to plant, and get some of the pansies and primroses in.

I got some more posts cut for bed legs and had to start another new compost heap as the fat darlek is full again - as are the water butts. I got rid of the remainder of the broad beans and pulled the rest of the Brittle Wax beans. Will definitely have to consider whether or not to grow them again next year.

Picked another carrier bag of Blue Lake and runners and I could get another cut or three off the chard. The bed of Mustard for green manure is filling out nicely now. All the seeds that I though weren't going to germinate have now. Oh and I had a go at burning some weeds in the grate in the shed. Even the newspaper I tried to light the fire with was damp so not much got burned ! Have left a load of stuff in the grate to dry out and will have another go today!

Looks pretty miserable out there at the moment, so I'm hoping the rain stops soon !