This weekend is all about harvesting for a later date. I picked some sloe berries a couple of Saturdays ago and have stored them in the freezer ever since – sloe gin is best made after the first frost. I picked the berries before natures first frost so I have had to go for an artificial version in the style of my fridge freezer. The gin still tastes just as good!!

I was also going to attempt to save my tomato seeds for next year. As I had already done the sunflower seeds I was feeling fairly confident about doing the tomatoes, or was, until I read up on this on the internet.  A quick check on Gardening Direct‘s website and I see that a packet of tomato seeds costs 79p and I am now wondering why on earth I am even considering the hassle of saving the tomato seeds and am going to go for the easy option.

We have had some beautiful sunshine in the Home Counties today so I was happy to have a wander into the garden, if only to hang the washing out!!

I am still amazed at the colour I have in the garden, the Sunpatiens Sunsplash White still look amazing planted next to the Rudbeckia Tiger Eye. I decided to cut down the sunflowers before they died in the garden and am now displaying these gorgeous flowers inside in a vase. Like last year I will be saving the seeds so that they can be used in next years garden.

My tomatoes are finally turning red, they may be small but I am pleased that they are finally beginning to ripen. They are in a grow house at the top of the garden but every time I walk up the garden I seem to get a mouthful of cobweb. I seem to have hundreds of spiders around at the moment, the webs are glorious in the morning but it is such a horrible feeling when you forget to duck and end up walking straight into one.

I still haven’t got round to planting the spring bulbs and these will now have to wait another week as I have more pressing matters in hand such as a quick weekend break to the south of France in search of some final blissful rays of sun before I really do declare to myself that we are now in Autumn.

In between all these rain showers I have finally managed to do some tidying up in the garden and cut the lawn. I am hoping that this might be the final cut till next year.

Every year I seem to try and fail with tomatoes and I don’t know whether to blame it on the climate or on my lack of green fingers. I did manage to produce a couple of red tomatoes but these were as tough as old boots so have ended up on the compost heap. All is not lost though as I do have a few green ones, the plan now is to start thinking about chutney recipes to go with the Christmas dinner.

Talking of Christmas dinners, I am still to unearth one final bag of potatoes so hopefully these will last until December.

And still talking of Christmas I am all set this weekend to go on my traditional sloe berry hunt and start producing some delicious Sloe Gin. Judging on the amount my family, my friends and I devoured on Christmas Eve I am definitely going to ensure that more berries are picked.

Autumn is my favourite season with all the crisp colours that are around, yet I am still pleased to see that there is still an abundance of summer colours in my garden. The purple flowers on the Wintunia are so delicate and pretty and the Begonia Glowing Embers are easing me into Autumn in a very gentle way.

The past week has felt quite Autumnal with all the rain and wind we have had. The garden is still flourishing but my lack of time in it over the past couple of weeks is starting to show. We have been eating beans, courgettes, lettuce but unfortunately the slugs have eaten the sprouting broccoli that I have only just planted out.

I have a plentiful supply of green tomatoes which I don’t think will turn red so I think in our final week of the school holidays the kids and I will make a batch of chutney. I may even have a go at cooking some fried green tomatoes!

The weather forecast for the next week is looking good so the plan is to get back out into the garden, do a spot of tidying up and then start planning the spring garden.

Sunpatiens Sunsplash White

Rudbeckia Tiger Eye

Begonia Glowing Embers

Impatiens Sweetheart Mix

Thunbergia

Courgettes

Trailing Petunia Easy Wave Mix

 Tomato

 Begonia Illumination Salmon Pink

Cosmos Sonato Mix