Well I've made a start anyway - in the greenhouse. All the tomatoes have been stripped off the plants and the plants have been chopped down and removed.
Last year the beloved made me a table out of old pallets to give me more room to store my winter veg.
I have brought in the container with the last sowing of dwarf beans which are now in flower and the salad leaves that were growing outdoors. The growbags that held the tomatoes will now be sown with winter lettuce.
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| dwarf french beans and cauliflower and cabbage plants |
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| salad leaves and chard seedlings |
All the green tomatoes have been put into seed trays and placed in the mini growhouse inside the greenhouse, snug and warm, to enable them to ripen.
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| Gardeners Delight |
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| Sungold |
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Alicante
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| Marmande |
I feel better once the greenhouse is organised so I have more room to make late sowings. I don't heat the greenhouse over winter so make sure I have plenty of fleece at the ready for extra protection.
By the time I have finished filling the greenhouse it will become pretty crowded as I like to try and take geranium cuttings as well - some that I took a couple of weeks ago have already rooted.
There are still loads of jobs to complete outdoors, which is a bit daunting - but, if the weather stays reasonable I will hopefully get them completed - one job at a time before the really bad weather sets in.
Have you made a start on your big autumn clear up yet?
Last year the beloved made me a table out of old pallets to give me more room to store my winter veg.
I have brought in the container with the last sowing of dwarf beans which are now in flower and the salad leaves that were growing outdoors. The growbags that held the tomatoes will now be sown with winter lettuce.
By the time I have finished filling the greenhouse it will become pretty crowded as I like to try and take geranium cuttings as well - some that I took a couple of weeks ago have already rooted.
I'm glad to see your tomatoes. i have been wondering whether or not to pick mine, even though they are still green. I don't think there is much chance of them ripening on the vine any more. I'm very sad that I have had such a poor crop. I will be better organised, and I have plans on the distant horizon for a greenhouse myself. Yours looks so beautifully organised now.
ReplyDeleteNot started cleaning out the greenhouses yet as we are still hopeful of more red tomatoes. Do you manage to keep geraniums through winter in an unheated greenhouse?
ReplyDeleteYes Sue - depending on the winter, sometimes it works, sometimes not - but it seems a shame to throw the plants away without trying to get some cuttings from them.
DeleteMmmmm my garden & greenhouses needs a big clean up. Looking like it wont happpen until the end of October though.
ReplyDeleteYour tomatoes reminded me of when I was a little girl. I remember my dad used to grow tomatoes and about this time of year he would bring all the green ones indoors and there were many. We would then sit and wrap each one separately in pieces of newspaper and they would be packed in a drawer until they turned red. Quite often just before Christmas I think.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
I wish my greenhouse was as tidy and organised as yours Elaine! It's full of chilli and pepper plants at the moment, but I'll need to make space for the tender plants before the first frosts.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very timely post Elaine, because I was wondering what to do with the tomatoes. I also need greenhouse space to bring in tender plants before the first frost.
ReplyDeleteMy chillies are all still green. I suppose I could just use them up, albeit not so hot?
Good tip re the old growbags. But mine will have to rest on the staging, or the mice will have all the leaves!
I started my clear-up yesterday. The compost heap is rising, and I like to have the cleared areas all tidy and rotovated before winter.
ReplyDeleteI haven't started on the greenhouse yet, but we're trying to make a start on the winter dig at the allotment. There's always so much to do.
ReplyDeletemy Autumn clear-up happens in small stages, but Yes it has started. Unlike you I do not have the luxury of a greenhouse, so my veg plot will be fairly sparsely populated for much of the Winter, though I am hoping for some good results with Brussels Sprouts and Cavolo Nero (and of course PSB for next Spring).
ReplyDeleteI have greenhouse envy again! I've been making the most of the recent good weather and really only have a few things left on my autumn clear-up list. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteLove this time of year 'out with the old' and all that. Adore those fab benches your OH made - clever ehh and out of pallets too?!?
ReplyDeleteIt only seems like yesterday since we made a start with sowing seeds Elaine - where have the months gone? I have still to make a start on the autumn clear up but hope to get going this weekend :)
ReplyDeleteI have been without a greenhouse for the first time this year and not a day has gone by when I haven't felt a little bit sad about my greenhouseless status, but now you have reminded me about clearing out and disinfecting and at last I don't mind not having one!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I have just remembered the lovely greenhousey smell.... the scent of spent compost.... the sense of satisfaction when the space is cleared.... ah...
Autumn clear-up done...check!
ReplyDeleteYou've been so lucky with your toms, half of our were wiped out, the other half are being bagged up to ripen. Lessons learnt & already looking forward to changes next year. x
Your greenhouse is certainly better organized & utilized far better than mine. I've made a start on several Autumn jobs recently down the plot. My greenhouse will be moved down there soon, from my garden, don't know whether to move it before or after the Winter though?
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that you have young chard, I've got some about the same size so you've reassured me it's going ok. Thanks Elaine. Your greenhouse looks amazing with lots of promise of things to come. X
ReplyDeleteWow! I am well impressed with those tomatoes! What a collection. Hope you are able to put them to good use.
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI’ve started on my garden clean up too with harvesting the last of the borlotti beans. Trying to leave the greenhouse for a bit as the majority of my tomato plants are only just flowering. Yes I know the chance of them setting and producing viable tomatoes is very slim but I live in hope...
Right - you have motivated me to get out there and sort the greenhouse! I want it to look as lovely as yours!
ReplyDeleteWhat a splendid sight your greenhouse makes, so productive. I haven't managed to get organised for this year, but using the greenhouse to keep us going with edibles through the winter is a pet project of mine, so I will be making notes!
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