Monday 21 October 2013

Smashing Squashes and Cheeky Chillies


This is a selection of this year's squash harvest. We have already eaten a couple, and there are several more still out on the plot: an elongated pumpkin, and a few interesting hybrids, the result of cross-pollination from last year. The seeds must have been in the compost I planted my potatoes in, and when the first potatoes were dug, the seeds germinated. I left them to see what would happen, and the long warm summer has enabled them to produce some nice fruit. There are a couple with obvious Crown Prince parentage, and one which is round and bright yellow.


These Orange Habanero chillies got off to a very late start, and although they have spent the entire summer in a very warm conservatory I was concerned that they would never ripen, but eventually they have. They look so innocent don't they - the jolly bright orange colour - in fact they are seriously hot, a little will go a long way. I have also grown some Caribbean mix (not very hot at all), some Bulgarian Carrot (very hot) and Memorial Day (very/quite hot).


The pepper on top is the only one to have started to change colour. The peppers also got very delayed by the cold spring, so most didn't even produce fruit, and the few fruit I did get are all still green, apart from this one, encouraged by the banana.

I now have two weeks off work, and the forecast seems to be for rain/heavy rain for the foreseeable future. However, I have planted all my tulip bulbs, some garlic and some broad beans, I'm up to date with the most urgent allotment tasks,  and I have got a couple of indoorsy projects to work on - a patchwork quilt, and some paintings of the flowers I have been growing over the summer, so I can relax and enjoy.