[garynortheast]

Well the garden is in full production, and the allotment is not doing too badly either. I haven't bought any veg for around six weeks now. I'm starting to freeze stuff ready for the winter and still have plenty to eat everyday.

Currently harvesting chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, Red Russian and Asparagus kale, potatoes, onions, garlic, climbing French bean, a few runner beans (they're very slow off the mark this year), carrots, courgettes, and beetroot. I have a late crop of peas just getting growing, and a couple of rows of dwarf French beans.

I did sow a couple of rows of green broccoli and early purple sprouting but they both failed to germinate so I had a trip to a local garden centre and bought a number of 6 module trays of 4 types of cabbage, green, white, and early purple broccoli, and brussels, all for two quid a tray. Potting them all on until they are a bit bigger, then I'll plant them out.

I'm at the stage now where, beyond planting out, harvesting, and the occasional bit of weeding, the garden is looking after itself.

I do like this time of the year, as not only is there all the fruit and veg of my labours in the veg plot, we're also heading into peak foraging season. This evening on my local hike in the hills I found several big, fat, horse mushrooms. Two of them came home with me and are now in a big pan of pasta sauce!