The trees surrounding Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden are now almost bare, so this week we will have more time to spend on jobs other than clearing up leaves. Our next big tidy up will be inside the greenhouse, where many plants have now gone over. Last week we harvested the last of our cucumbers and the plants are now ready for the compost bin.
Clearing the greenhouse always feels a bit like taking down the Christmas decorations from the house; a real sense of sadness that the season is over and they need to come down, but a real satisfaction at the clean, tidy and uncluttered space that is left when the job is done. There are countless pots and trays to be cleaned ready for their next use, and these are sitting neatly organised under the staging waiting for cold winter days when a bucket of hot soapy water will be a welcome treat for frozen, dirty hands.
This time of year can feel quite sombre; so far away from the main growing season. So this week, to perk us up, we will dig out the heated propagator and a grow light and sow some chilli seeds under cover to get an early start for next year’s crop Seeing little green seedlings poking through the soil will be a real treat on dark winter days.
