I was five hours on the plot this weekend but probably only got four hours of work on it. One of the joys of the allotment is getting to chat to people!

But the tidying continues. This week I tackled some beds and the surrounding areas.

So there was some cutting back of the jasmine, the blackcurrant sage and the cola plant which is actually called artemisia abrotanum ‘Coca Cola’.

I cleared the bed next to it of the tree spinach and dying tomatoes. That bed has had walking onions and parsley in it so I left them there. There were self seeded forget me nots coming up in the path around that bed. So the paths got a weed and I moved some of them into the bed (they might not make it, we’ll see) and finally I stuck some baby fennel in there. It’s every much an experiment.

I also sorted out one of the wild tomato beds and its surrounding paths.

I planted a bed with perpetual spinach and pak choi and where the courgettes (which are slowly coming to the end of their life) are, stuck some Chinese lettuce in the gaps. Again these are experimental.

Finally, I potted up some plants I didn’t have time to plant out into pots. I will get to them later.

Next week, I want to tidy up the next tomato bed and it’s surrounding paths, in fact, weeding paths is going to be the theme of the next few weeks.

Mum helped me make a decision about the gooseberries, we are going to dig them up, weed the area throughly put some weed fabric down and plant new ones that we ordered last week. One ‘Invicta’ and two ‘Hinnonmaki red’. So I want to get that area sorted over the next couple of week.

I also want to weed grass at the front and move the artemisia in that bed nearer the path, and I have some perennials to go in there too. I also need to trim back the lavender at the front of the ‘fruit cage’. There are plants on the table that need to go into the ground (kale, more pak choi, spring greens and various herbs) so that is also part of my planning for the next two weeks!

I have worked hard but the plot isn’t just about work. There is huge amount of ladybirds on the plot.

The way the dahlias have decided to spring into life!

It’s autumn and I have to admit I haven’t had the best year on the plot but, it still brings me joy and calm and peace.