SEPTEMBER 2007
Late September
September is almost over and, to be honest, it’s been a little disappointing. The weather has generally been good and perhaps that has contributed to my disappointment. Why? Rain and moisture in the Autumn help fungi grow but so far this year, there hasn’t been too much around. Regular readers will know that I’m a fanatical fungi fan!
According to my entry for last September I was picking field mushrooms nearly everyday from the second week of the month but this year, nothing as yet. There is also a spectacular non-edible giant polypore that grows in a hollowed out beech not far from my home. Last year it was developing its’ shelf like structure from late August but this year, nothing.
I have spotted a few fungi species this month though. A colony of ‘Sheathed Woodtuft’ has grown on a mound of chipped wood and compost that seems to regularly host this fungi. I have also come across a patch of ‘Earth Balls’. Earth Balls can be quite tricky to see, especially when young, as they blend into the undergrowth and woodland floor. They look a little like out of shape golf balls but with pimples rather than dimples, if you know what I mean! If you cut one open you will see a thick skin covering a black ball of spores. The spores are released when the ball breaks down and rots. Though they are an interesting species they shouldn’t be confused with the edible Puffball as Earth Balls are poisonous.
I do love Autumn, the trees with vibrant reds, golds and russet browns. That first chill in the air mornings and evenings telling us that Summer is now a memory, fading away like our suntans. There wasn’t too much of an Autumnal display last year as I recall the weather being quite wet and windy at the start of September 2006. The trees were stripped too quickly by persistent squalls and the wet ground ensured that we didn’t have nice leafy dunes to wade through. I’m hoping that we will see a better display this year. It was probably the wet weather that ensured the great profusion of fungi, it’s all swings and roundabouts!
The allotment is winding down now and I’ve began to pull up the old plants. The runner bean canes are down, the courgette plants have been popped into the compost bin, the onions and garlic hung indoors to dry. There are a few sweet corn cobs to come in, I’d better do that asap before they rot away. I’ve finished up all the summer cabbage and cleared the beds. My Winter Savoy cabbage, with it’s deep crinkly leaves is doing well and I can see sprouts forming too – I hope to have a few for Christmas! My leeks are thickening nicely and I’ve put in a few spring cabbage – both these and the sprouts will have to take the brunt of the Winter weather. I have a week off in October so I’m hoping to spend a bit of time preparing both the allotment and the garden for Winter.
Whenever the days shorten and the temperature begins to drop I always seem to have this sense of urgency to ‘tidy-up’ the garden and, this year, my allotment too. I wonder why? Something hardwired into humans to do with the seasons? Maybe everyone who is interested in nature, gardening, etc, is a little more in touch with the yearly cycle, even if on a basic level. Perhaps it’s ‘in us’ to respond to the seasons.
According to my entry for last September I was picking field mushrooms nearly everyday from the second week of the month but this year, nothing as yet. There is also a spectacular non-edible giant polypore that grows in a hollowed out beech not far from my home. Last year it was developing its’ shelf like structure from late August but this year, nothing.
I have spotted a few fungi species this month though. A colony of ‘Sheathed Woodtuft’ has grown on a mound of chipped wood and compost that seems to regularly host this fungi. I have also come across a patch of ‘Earth Balls’. Earth Balls can be quite tricky to see, especially when young, as they blend into the undergrowth and woodland floor. They look a little like out of shape golf balls but with pimples rather than dimples, if you know what I mean! If you cut one open you will see a thick skin covering a black ball of spores. The spores are released when the ball breaks down and rots. Though they are an interesting species they shouldn’t be confused with the edible Puffball as Earth Balls are poisonous.I do love Autumn, the trees with vibrant reds, golds and russet browns. That first chill in the air mornings and evenings telling us that Summer is now a memory, fading away like our suntans. There wasn’t too much of an Autumnal display last year as I recall the weather being quite wet and windy at the start of September 2006. The trees were stripped too quickly by persistent squalls and the wet ground ensured that we didn’t have nice leafy dunes to wade through. I’m hoping that we will see a better display this year. It was probably the wet weather that ensured the great profusion of fungi, it’s all swings and roundabouts!
The allotment is winding down now and I’ve began to pull up the old plants. The runner bean canes are down, the courgette plants have been popped into the compost bin, the onions and garlic hung indoors to dry. There are a few sweet corn cobs to come in, I’d better do that asap before they rot away. I’ve finished up all the summer cabbage and cleared the beds. My Winter Savoy cabbage, with it’s deep crinkly leaves is doing well and I can see sprouts forming too – I hope to have a few for Christmas! My leeks are thickening nicely and I’ve put in a few spring cabbage – both these and the sprouts will have to take the brunt of the Winter weather. I have a week off in October so I’m hoping to spend a bit of time preparing both the allotment and the garden for Winter.
Whenever the days shorten and the temperature begins to drop I always seem to have this sense of urgency to ‘tidy-up’ the garden and, this year, my allotment too. I wonder why? Something hardwired into humans to do with the seasons? Maybe everyone who is interested in nature, gardening, etc, is a little more in touch with the yearly cycle, even if on a basic level. Perhaps it’s ‘in us’ to respond to the seasons.
The dwarf rudbeckia I started off in modules in late February early March are now going over in the garden. I'm defnitely going to plant them next year as they have continued to flower for nearly 5 months. Little suns dotted all around the garden - they have been well worth while. My biggest disappointment this year have been my pumpkins for Halloween, for some reason they developed well then rotted off the vine. I'm going to try a different variety next time. I'm going to have to buy a pumpkin this year! Ouch!This time of year is sooooo busy for the wine maker. I've brewed and bottled a few gallons of rhubarab and blackberry rosè and apple and blackberry rosè. Thirty bottles have gone into store and I've two gallons ready to fill up my re-usable wine box for immediate drinking. I've just started brewing another four gallons of apple - just got to use those apples up!
Time to wrap-up this month. As I'm writing the rain is falling so perhaps I will be eating wild mushrooms in October, who knows? See you next time. I'll leave you with a shot of the Common European Garden Spider. Bye.
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