Tidying up

[tommy the cat]

Field beans are a little on the large side as the weather has been so mild!!
I've planted these this year as a green manure.

Having a bit of a tidy up around the beds. Still need to manure up as well as pick up some top soil.

Greenhouse looks a bit sad. The black on the soil are carpet tiles that I put down to keep the weeds down. The bits that are not covered are for lettuce.the green is wild rocket.

Strawberries flowering.

Rasberries I need to ask about in another post.
That's it really.i was going to put up a post on a great course I went on with wildlife trails but sadly my dad died during the course and things have been a bit hectic and difficult since.
Dave

 

[British Red]

Condolences on your loss Dave

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks Hugh it been really hard... tatting about it the gardens taking my mind of it a bit.
I'd really love to know what you've been up to allotment wise when you've got a minute.

 

[Toddy]

Sorry to hear about your Dad My sincerest condolences.
Time doesn't heal the ache, but if life's busy then newer more immediate memories help fill up spaces. I think you're very wise to get out and work in the garden.

Your raspberries look like mine. I'm still picking a small bowlful every couple of days, and this is November !
I collected four times (froze the berries) and made raspberry sorbet , I have the same amount of the fruits soaking in vodka, and the same again in vinegar. Mostly though we just munch them as we pass by.
It's been such a good year for fruit

Mary

 

[mrcharly]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. As Toddy says, time doesn't stop the ache, but you get used to it. Time spent in a garden can be good contemplation time.

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks for that guys... I lost my mum a long time ago so been through it all before 😢
The Rasberries I'm confused about as unfortunately the labels came off them and I know some are autumn fruiting some are summer???
I'm not sure which to prune when!!!
Beautiful day here today....off to my mums grave to put some silk flowers down as my dads going with her and I want it to look nice for dads funeral.

 

[Toddy]

Tie a wee bit of something, even a strip off a plastic bag, round the bottom of the fruiting canes, now. Those are your Autumn ones.

Then take each cane one at a time and if it's totally brown and hard and brittle, cut it right out from the base. Those are dead and won't come again.

Now look at the unmarked canes that are left. Those are most likely your Summer ones, and they need pruned differently to the Autumn ones. The Autumn ones can be cut right down and will fruit on canes that grow next year. The Summer ones fruit on the new canes that grew this year and this year's old fruited canes need cut out, they won't fruit again. I cut my Autumn ones back when they've lost all leaves and gone brown. I know it's a bit early, but mine aren't trained onto wires, and it's easier this way.

The RHS says,
"Pruning
Regular annual pruning will result in healthier plants, and better quality crops.

Summer-fruiting raspberries
Cut back fruited canes to ground level after harvesting; do not leave old stubs
Select the strongest young canes, around six to eight per plant, and tie them in 8-10cm (3-4in) apart along the wire supports
Remove the remaining young stems to ground level
Autumn-fruiting raspberries
Cut back all the canes to ground level in February. Reduce the number of canes slightly in summer if they are very overcrowded."

atb,
Mary

 

[tommy the cat]

Only just spotted your reply Mary, thank you thats real useful.

 

[tommy the cat]

I'm still a bit confused about these..... Ive got it in my head that my sister bought me Glen Moy a summer fruiting variety. .... However I remember that she said she bought the raspberries as they will fruit from summer through autumn??? So wondering if there were mixed varieties after all but most canes have fruit.
The photo I took today.
Maybe I should pay more attention to when they start fruit get next year!!
D

 

[British Red]

It does vary hugely from place to place when things fruit. I wouldn't worry too much so long as they DO fruit

 

[tommy the cat]

The did fruit BR but not a great deal..... I will thin out as some of the canes are quite a way from the mother plant....Ive been considering moving them and building a cage as I struggle to net them where they are against the fence ...we'll see...