Olive Harvesting....and more

No autumn rains have graced our gardens over the last few weeks. There are some brisk mornings and stunning autumn days, that’s why it’s my favourite time of year!

It’s a busy time in the garden getting all those spring flowering bulbs in, planting trees and shrubs, getting as much manure and compost onto the beds for the next growing season and the raking and spreading of leaf mulch just to name a few jobs on the list.

The intense autumn colour is abound on our ornamental grapevines and deciduous trees are giving us an extended show this year.

With olives harvested over the last few weeks it’s time to give them a hard prune to keep them in check and at a height that won’t need a ladder to harvest in the future. If you have had an abundant crop (some haven’t this year), try pickling with the salt and press method and the olives can go into some vacuum bags with olive oil and some herbs and then shared with family and friends.

Quinces have been productive also this year with good yields so some quince paste is also on the list to do!

It’s a good time to plant garlic, broad beans, broccoli, leeks, beetroot and other vegetable for winter/spring harvest giving them a good start while the ground still has some warmth in it, not forgetting to give them a fortnightly liquid feed through their growing season.

Prune salvias as they get tired looking to giving them a healthy burst of new growth, I also prune off all the long growth on my fruit trees keeping them within a manageable height and shape.

Enjoy the autumn days......

Happy Gardening