Good morning and welcome to our autumn garden!  I took these photos on the day we got the keys for our new home, as I excitedly took in the views and Nye and I explored the greenery.  That was back in October and so the garden is now looking a tad different but I wanted to try and remember just how beautiful it was before winter sets in.

Now that everything has started to die back I desperately need to get out the clippers and start planting our spring bulbs.  I just love the simplicity and vibrancy of daffodils and tulips and we went out to choose some to plant weeks ago which are yet to find themselves deep in the soil.  The drive to plant them is ever increasing but my ability to bend down is somewhat hindered by the enormous baby I’m carrying.  (It’s actually my due date today).  Perhaps I will try and plant some this afternoon before I go into labour and have even less time to get gardening done.

One task we have managed to do is to collect lots of seeds from the millions of marigolds that the previous owner had.  I have never thought to harvest seeds before but my dear friend Jess (who also happens to be a florist) advised me to do so and it seems silly to throw away good seeds!  Neil also noticed that the gladioli seeds were ready to harvest so we have also stored these.  I understand that Gladioli seeds don’t flower for several years so I suppose I better plant these up in the spring.

We also have a raised bed, two vegetable/fruit beds and a greenhouse.  These were mainly cleared when we moved in but the previous owners did leave us their last harvest of tomatoes and lots and lots of giant runner beans.  In the raised bed I have already planted up some garlic and onions.  I planted two different varieties of each to see how they grow.  I noticed yesterday that some of the onions had already started sprouting, I have no idea if they are meant to be doing this yet as I have never grown them before but I’m rather chuffed that I was organised enough to get them planted.

I’ve also planted a head of rhubarb but as it is a perennial I planted it in the main garden by the pond.  It’s slightly shaded by the tree and behind loads of roses so who knows if it will take or even if I plated it correctly.  So far these are the only things I came across that could be planted at this time of year but I will happily take tips on anything else I can be doing.

I’m now trying to be organised and make a list of all the things I’d like to grow next year.  I ordered a seed catalog a few weeks ago which I have been flicking through, but there are so many things it’s difficult to concentrate on what we would actually use.  Realistically the things that would be really useful to have would be, potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, salad leaves, courgettes, raspberries and strawberries.  Nye gets through apples like nobodies business so I’m also thinking about buying a tree to grow up the side wall. (No idea how feasible this is or just how many years it will take to get any fruit…) We already have lots of rosemary growing but we regularly use thyme, basil, oregano and coriander as well so I’d like to plant some of these when the time comes.  I keep thinking there must be somewhere that sells a basic variety of seeds or even seedlings for a small home fruit and vegetable garden but I haven’t come across quite what I’m looking for just yet.  If anyone has any tips on where they buy their seeds and/or plants and what they have had success with I would love to hear from you.  I quite like the idea of growing butternut squash but I have no idea if that is even possible for a novice like myself.