September 2025

 OBJECTIVES FOR SEPTEMBER

• Continue watering as necessary
• Continue weeding 
• Turn compost heaps
• Trim all dead flower heads from herbs FUTURE POLICY will be to remove flower heads from flowering herbs within reach of edges of plot as they appear so as to concentrate the energy back into the leaves and thus improve flavour - for human consumption. Those in the centre to be allowed to flower - for the bees.
• Tidy up the soft fruit bushes - cut currants back by one third pending proper pruning late winter,
• Take out random self sown clumps of herbs
• Flower heads off Fennel
• Restrain the Chives
• Thin the new seedlings in the raised bed as necessary

1 September

The long awaited rain has arrived in earnest!  Everything looking much fresher!

Trimmed the red and white currant bushes back by approx one third and removed ground level branches.

Gave all the flowering herbs a good trim. 

Cut the spent Globe Artichoke back.

Topped off the tallest of the Jerusalem Artichoke

Deadheaded all the Marigolds [this is an ongoing job for someone with a small pair of snippers until they stop flowering or we will inherit an even more abundant proliferation of these lovely flowers in the future]

Spring Onions starting to show in raised seed bed.

3 September

Rocket now through. Should be ready to start harvesting by the month end. We sowed most in the raised seed bed, and some directly into a space in the plot near the boundary wall.

4 September

Hoed most of the plot - leaving the bit between the path entrance and the pointy end. Still a lot of small weeds germinating.

Temporarily tied back the Broad Bean support, which is getting a bit top heavy and leaning towards the Park.

This is insurance against the predicted Named Storms yet to sweep the country.

Its a bit inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as squashed Runner Beans on Princes Avenue...

8 September

Hoed and deadheaded throughout

Rocket seedlings outside seed bed flourishing - perhaps need thinning out a little bit??

Spring cabbage doing well

IMPORTANT!  Notice to members of the general public

The relatively damp conditions we are enjoying at the moment are ideal for growth of fungi, which have started to appear around the Edible Bed.

THESE ARE NOT MUSHROOMS which we have sown for you to harvest, and, like many wild mushrooms and toadstools, they are probably VERY DANGEROUS IF CONSUMED. DO NOT PICK THEM OR TASTE THEM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !!!

9 September

Prepared strip between Red Russian Kale and Chives, etc., at the wall side for either onion sets or garlic planting.

Hand weeding around the Peas, Cavolo Nero to the front of the bed revealed a few Alpine Strawberries, so added them to the list.

11 September

Hoed throughout and hand weeded seedbed as far as possible.

Hoeing can't get really up close to veggies without disturbing them, so there are some weed seedlings to pull out by hand around the newly planted crops, eg Spring Cabbage, Red Russian Kale, etc. if anyone fancies that quite delicate job.

16 September

Visited today.

Hoed throughout.

Beans all picked but still flowering with promise of more to come.

Bit of slug damage to one of the Spring Cabbages. First sign I have seen of this.

September 18

Hoed throughout. Deadheaded Marigolds, and took out the Marigolds which had been transplanted between Cavolo Nero to give CN a bit of breathing space. Don't know whether the Marigolds did their job of luring cabbage whites away, but there were perhaps fewer egg clusters to be found than usual?

Russian Red Kale and Spring Cabbage doing well

Thinned out Beetroot and Chard seedlings. Rocket rocketing.

Quick dig over area behind Currant bushes to make space for Onions, Garlic, etc.

21 September

Prepared new area for planting out in front of Rhubarb, sharp end.

Took out much superfluous Lemon Balm and Chives to make room.

Levelled two other planting areas ready for Onions & Garlic, plus Pak Choi, radish, and Carrot seedlings, all on the way.

22 September

Received Onion sets, Garlic cloves, and Carrot, Pak Choi, and Radish seedlings for planting out.

Soil a bit wet for tramping on yet, so raked three areas fine and level and tamped down with rake.  Should be ok to plant out tomorrow.

I thought to put onions and garlic in the area down at the clock end, Pak Choi alongside the Russian Kale, and the Carrots and Radish in the area between the runner beans and rhubarb if anyone else would like to lend a hand?

23 September

Planted out Pak Choi and Radish seedlings.

Started on half a dozen or so carrots, but they were very small and probably need a bit longer in the module before being picked out.

Let's see how they all cope.

Rocket getting near usable

24 September 

All garlic and onion sets in.

Onions in two locations:

Garlic in blunt (clock) end

Cut back the Fennel by about half just to tidy it up a bit.

26 September

Removed unwanted herbage and dug over area to front of plot in front of compost heaps. Transplanted some of the errant Alpine Strawberries into that area.

The Rosemary bush which had been growing there had given up the ghost, so remains were removed.  I have a small one grown from a cutting elsewhere, so I will bring that down in the near future to replace. Need to hang on to that label then.

I think there is still room for another couple of Rosemary bushes in other locations at the edges of the plot. It gives winter greenage, plus it is very sensory with a lovely fragrance to attract passers-by.

28 September

Thinned out a bit more of front border. Woody herb invasion stemmed in that area.

Pushed back in a few onion sets which had sprung around. If anyone is passing by over the next few days, please look out for any similar which seem to be sunbathing on their sides or completely bottoms-up due to sumersaulting. They seem to be a bit lively at the mo, whilst ones back is turned..

30 September

Bit of hoeing.

Rocket looks about ready to start using?