Planting for Autumn
I'm trying to get in the habit of planting seeds continually every month instead of one big rush in April and May. Most of the Summer favourites are past their best in late August but there is still plenty of warmth and daylight to keep an extra crop going till much later.
Today I planted my leek seedlings. They are only about the width of a piece of spaghetti but leek seedlings are quite sturdy and easy to handle. I have given these seedlings a bit of a hair cut with scissors so as to minimize the stress of transplanting. I have a rich clay soil which was manured for my potatoes. They should do well here, and you cannot overwater leeks!
All different sorts of beans are cropping well now. The purple climbing bean Blauhilde is one of my favourites, as is the green flat bean Eden. The runner beans Enorma are just starting to crop heavily too. I try to pick them while small and don't let them get old and stringy... but as all gardeners will know... they have a habit of hiding in the foliage and when you think you have picked them all there is always some monster hiding behind a leaf!
Speaking of second crops, I sowed a second crop of runner bean Enorma a few weeks ago to see how they would do. So far so good, and they are loving this wet and humid weather.
Here is one of my squash Bush Delicata which was given to me by Petunias Garden during a visit to Seattle last year. The plant has a really dense, compact bush habit and looks really healthy. Lots of squash are developing.
Speaking of squash, here is my Yellow Squash Pie. I have relations who were born and brought up in Alabama, this is a Summer favourite in the South.1 cup (8oz) of yellow squash, steamed and mashed roughly
1oz melted butter
6oz sugar
4 eggs beaten
lemon essence or vanilla essence (you choose)
1 tablespoon flour
9" pie crust
pinch of salt
Mix all the ingredients together well, it will be quite sloppy. Pour into the pie crust and bake at 200C till done..I made it between 20-30 mins.. but keep checking. Serve cold..if you can wait that long...I can't!!
posted by Matron @ 6:29 PM
7 Comments:
My monthly salad seed sowing has completely gone to pot - as it does every year for one reason or another. I've gone from a glut of lettuce to none and the slugs have had what I planted out last week.
The Yellow Squash Pie looks gorgeous - it's like the Pumpkin Pie recipe I use. Same difference I suppose.
Memo - must put my leeks in today!
Your squash look great. Mine have been a disaster. I think you should have plenty of time to get a late harvest off those Enorma beans as well.
Everything in your allotment seems to be doing really well...bet the pie tastes yummy.
Margaret and Noreen
Matron, do you grow your leeks from seed? There's nothing for us in the garden centers near me. I've always needed to do my Fall season veggies from seed.
I've wanted to grow leeks, but never have. They've even made it to my seed list.
I've also made squash (butternut) pie. It has a smoother flavor, but very close to the pumpkin, especially with all the spice.
Primrozie - yes, I grow them from seed. Last year I saved some of my own seed - unbelievably fiddly to separate all the seed from the husks and stalks. They are really slow growing so I was planting leek seed about the same time in April/May that I was harvesting the last of last year's leeks.
I have loads of veg ready in the garden at the big house but its all going to waste as they aren't picking it. The greenhouse is bursting with ripe tomatoes yet when I was in the kitchen the other day the cook told me they went and bought some tinned tomatoes for her to use - and to hear them talk WE are the stupid ones!! Bob.
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