It’s about time to bring in your house plants.
I am tempted to repot a few of the geraniums which are presently in a planter on the balcony. They are blooming beautifully, and would look great inside, if I just get busy and move them into a pot or two to provide colour when things outside look bleak.
My middle daughter, Leslie, has been here. She is a keen gardener, and while investigating the dying contents of a couple of my large pots, discovered a lot of daffodil bulbs, so she typed notes to attach to the pots so that I wouldn’t (in my anxiety to get more bulbs into the soil) unearth the ones already there.
When your vegetable beds are empty (except for the carrots, turnips, beets, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts) you could buy yourself fall rye seed to scatter over the soil. Be generous and rake it in so the birds don’t think they’ve discovered Camelot, and eat it all. This is what is referred to as green manure. It will need to be cut back when it gets a few inches high, leaving the cut grass on the ground, to be dug in late next February with the rest of the rye. This will allow the sprouted grain to decompose before you need to put in next year’s vegetables.
People who have gardens take pity on me. I am so lucky, Muriel brought me several dozen delicious scarlet runner beans, plus a bag of cherry tomatoes. Ingrid gave me a scarlet runner bean plant, Annie brought me flowers, Jean gave me jars for marmlade, and jelly. It’s lovely to be spoiled. My sister-in-law has a cushion which has printed on it, too much of everything is wonderful — I agree.