HARVESTING

This week in the garden we are harvesting our apples. It is an ongoing harvest as we have several different varieties in our orchard and depending on your variety they may be ready between September and even early November! We have found that our apples have ripened a little later this year, and our crop has been far reduced.

This could be due to the weather this summer, a later blossom often indicates a later crop, or the fact that apple trees do not produce fruit every year. Disappointingly our most deliciously sweet and vibrantly green eating apples haven’t produced fruit at all which seems to be case for many apple growers around the country this year.

3 STEPS FOR…

1. Check apples for storage are in good condition – they should be firm and unblemished if they are to store well.

2. Crates or apple racks are the best way of storing apples. Each apple can be wrapped individually in a single sheet of old newspaper, and the apples slightly apart from each other so that should one turn mouldy or rot it doesn’t spread to the neighbouring apples.

3. Apples need to be stored in a cool room if they are to last and should be checked on every so often to catch any turning fruit before it spreads to any others.

CHOOSING AND BUYING…

If nothing else this week, choosing and buying which plants you want to be surrounding you in spring is a very good start. Each spring in my own garden I have an abundance of hyacinth which grown beautifully and smell heavenly. I have your standard daffodils, but some absolutely stunning narcissi varieties that have a very strong scent and are terribly pretty. We will be growing Amaryllis and tulips next year too!

PREPARING…

Now is a good time to pull out or dead head all the overgrown summer plants such as sweetpeas, lillies, and gladioli. I will be weeding the beds once cleared of this summers stems, and will return to them every two weeks to try and stay on top of the weed growth.
It is so worth freeing up a bit of time to do these tasks- I will be asking Al to help me – many hands… because the better we prepare and maintain our production beds now the easier next springs planting will be.