Goodbye Summer

[zazen999]

Well, it's the 31st August.

Just wanted to say goodbye to the summer, it's been fun if a little overcast.

My lasting memory of summer 2008 is of the wonderful veg in the markets of Southern France, and being inspired to grow even more heritage/open pollenated than before.

My toms are just giving me enough red ones to be worth the bother, even though I was getting red ones from 8th June, the rest are only just catching up now. Next year we will have a greenhouse so I'm hoping for better results.

My beans are coming good now, so that I will have enough frozen to keep us throughout the winter and spring.

My cukes are still producing, as one gets finished the next is ready.

The yellow courgettes have been a raging success, and grew in 3 directions giving 3 times as many as I've ever been able to grow before.

My chillis/peppers, all grown outdoors, are producing a range of shapes and sizes, and the best 3 will be overwintered and put in the greenhouse as soon as it comes.

The Moon trial is hit and miss. The lettuces bolted, and the onions decided to stop growing at all. But, the toms will be weighed as they ripen and all the remaining green ones will be added to the weigh-in and turned into green ketchup when the time comes. The calabrese are merrily at the lottie and will be harvested and weighed in spring as they come good.

I'm starting a new trial for garlic, with 39 big cloves from 3 garlics bought locally yesterday; will be planting them out 6 at a time, over 3 moon cycles, using the same pattern as before. This will start tomorrow on a root day.

I'll also be staring other trials, as this is a long term study not just one season!

I just wanted to say thanks to all on here, for inspiration, ideas, support, encouragement and alot of fun; even when it's been pouring down, it's always great on here.

So all, how was your summer? Lasting impressions? Last requests before we head into autumn? Any experiments for 2009 that you are planning? [not that the season is over, just a reflection on the summer!].

[HayleyB]

Hold it, hold it just one goddarn second, Summer hasn't gone it's only just started it's August still, just.....

No way hosay am I giving up on the hope of some sunshine. You ain't getting my Summer memories until the end of September

At the earliest

[shirlthegirl43]

We haven't had summer here yet!! I am still waiting for the first red tomato (it has just started to change colour) haven't had any courgettes, most of my stuff has rotted with the wet or blown away with the wind. One fed up gardener here waiting for a bit of sunshine so I can dig up the weeds and put some manure down with the hope of better growing success next year!

[seasprout]

I woke up to thick mist this morning, OH golf was called off due to not being able to see bugger all.

Dull and drizzle now.
Digging out my waterproofs and fleecy garments for work tomorrow.

[zazen999]

I woke up to thick mist this morning.

Snap.

I'm a reflector and like to look back and see what happened; and to make plans for the next season, and my next crops are starting to take the place of this year's.

Fingers crossed for an Indian Summer, but the summer per se is officially over as of tonight! Welcome Autumn.

I like the optimism though!

[squashysu]

British Summer time doesnt officially end until 26th October, so we may still have a chance, usually we have a decent september.

So come on everyone do a "sun dance"

[ailsasyl]

Squashysu you start us of and we will follow.
So was that three steps forward and one bacK?

[Comfreyfan]

We had summer yesterday, it was a wonderful summer! This morning back to the grey and overcast skies of the last 10 weeks. I'm dancing though (while trying to swat cabbage whites!)

It'll be interesting to see results from your moon trial Andrea. This is my second year planting with the lunar cycle (weather permitting), but haven't been very scientific about recording the outcome. I've been very pleased with the yield for both years so will be continuing. It does make me more organised!

I'll repeat the 3 sisters planting - corn, squash and beans have all grown really well. But less squash next year to avoid the jungle situation I'm faced with at the moment!

After reading the posts here I'm going to be looking for a more varied selection of my usual veg choices instead of whatever comes to hand at the GC! And I'm collecting seeds for a new flower bed next year - new territory for me and I'm getting quite excited about it all!

[Two_Sheds]

I have been so fed up with this "summer". Every morning we wake to thick cloud; day after day, week after week of it. What earthly use is cloud to anybody?

Anyway. There's always next year.

My French beans are superb, as usual (they don't get pests, diseases or get stroppy if the weather's not right). I will grow even more next year, but focus on my favourites (Black Croatian, Yellow Teepee, Barlotta, Flummerys Serbian and Yin Yang).

My sweetcorn are brilliant. No idea why. (Conqueror or Swift, can't remember)

Pumpkins are looking lovely (Golden Nugget, Mars)

Carrots and parsnips a runaway success (all started off in loo rolls)

Not so good: brassicas. Despite using pegged-down debris netting, the butterflies somehow got underneath, as did the snails. I still have edible veg, but it's ruddy irritating being beaten by an insect. The caterpillars were plague-like this year.

Absolute rubbish: radish. I just can't grow an edible radish. The slugs, sun or caterpillars do for them.

I'm so sad though, at the prospect of 6 months of cold, dark, wet English winter (to follow the cold, dark, wet English summer we had) that I have been forced to open a bottle of Pinot Grigio at 5 in the afternoon.

[Nicos]

We had summer yesterday here in Normandy. Lasted one day
Guess what we did??...shopping!!!

Actually we went to the market in Falaise ( Google it..tis a lovely place and birth place of William the Conqueror ) ...next table( 6 actually) was a male voice choir from Marseilles ..and they certainly sang for their lunch!!!!
Temp got up to the high 20's ...siesta..then BBQ..read by candlelight and kept awake by lightning storms most of the night! Looks like that was me summer all rolled nto one day...and we LOVED it!!
**** day today for all sorts of reasons , but now feel I've had my summer ( and feel very contented)
Back to England on Wednesday and back to the lottie and painting inside the house .
One day at a time eh??

[seasprout]

I woke up to thick mist this morning, OH golf was called off due to not being able to see bugger all.

Dull and drizzle now.
Digging out my waterproofs and fleecy garments for work tomorrow.

*issing down now, really dull as well.

[squashysu]

well it is hammering it down, with the odd thunder, the best bit, is..............we now have a leak in the girls room coming from a light!!! the light is a spot light about a very small flat roof in the bedroom, we only moved in october so not found every fault yet!!

OH had a look and the guttering is on the small flat bit, so obviouslt that is blocked................guess what OH is doing this week then!!!!! Thank the lord he is off work!!

Now where did i put that bucket??????

[Nicos]

B&Q do some very nice ones in orange at 99p....very useful n the lottie too for weeding ...and if push comes to shove...for a pee also!!!

[zazen999]

Now where did i put that bucket??????

It's probably got carrots growing in it.

We went to the lottie at gone 7, when the rain stopped. As it got dark we went to the pub for a swift pint [well, JD and coke for me], and on the cycle back - no kidding you - it was slightly warmer but as foggy as it was last christmas eve.

[di]

We've had a glorius w/e here(o.k tad bit muggy today)Managed to get our new shed up testerday(I now have somewhere to hide when using my bucket!!)&dug up loads of tatties & got on top of most of our weeds!Spent the morning at lottie today but was actually too hot/sticky to get much done!
I've got a few pie in the sky ideas for what to do next year(lots of which involves "building"over the winter)~but hoping for several more sunny days this year before getting the seed catalogues out(or rather sitting on Ebay looking whats on offer)
So~is everyone planning next years crops with the optimistic hope of a long hot summer?or crops to suit wet cold climates?!~I'm undecided as yet,although I have already bought some half price aubergine seeds!!