September update.

The weather here has taken a real turn and we are definitely now in autumn. Although the temperatures have been good we have had more rain and in the last few days a lot of wind

This part of the garden was my pride and joy last week but now with the sunflowers broken and blown over and the dahlias stripped of lots of their petals it’s looking very sorry for itself. Everything in it was grown from seed this year and the whole point of it has always been that I would compost everything in the autumn and leave it bare all winter. That way I can dig out all the persistent weeds and dig in lots of goodness. It also gives me a blank canvas to plant all the seedlings I grow each spring but never have room for.

On the other side of the same part of the garden is this mess

We took down a huge mixed up bundle of trees, bush and weeds between us and next door only to find our neighbour had filled the no-mans land behind it with rubbish. The new fence was put on hold while we cleared it and then life took over, closely followed by a swarm of bees. We had no sooner sorted out the first swarm when another moved in. In the mean time the spare earth called me to plant just a few pumpkin plants,

Which climbed over the weeds and up the neighbours shed and over his garage!

Some butternuts which grew through the hive legs

The bees are using the leaves as landing boards and seem happy. They will be moved next week but for now have enjoyed their close proximity to the garden to build up their reserves.

A couple of summer squash I was given also joined the mix, along with some late sweetcorn and leftover zinnias. They were a plant to far and have not done so well. Like every year I vow not to plant so close next year.

The tomatoes are finishing. The cucumbers have been replaced with peas and I picked 9 more peppers this morning before remembering to blog! These chilli are hot whatever the label says!

Plants outside still look green and lush. The late peas are podding, the sprouts have outgrown their butterfly net, the leeks, parsnips and celery have tons of leaves and the new strawberry bed is flowering.

The rhubarb is still crazy and I have my first ever bunch of grapes. All be it mis-shapen and tiny.

Even the raspberries that look as if they are on their last legs are still fruiting prolifically.

I intend moving them this winter, should time allow. But then we also intend putting in the new fence, sowing a new piece of lawn, cutting down some trees, clearing out an overgrown ivy or two.

The garden is never finished and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Who wants to shop, rest or party at the weekends when you can chop things down, dig them up and make changes!

Changing the eco system.

It’s early days at the apiary. I’ve only been there for just over a beekeeping season, but already the environment is changing.

When we arrived last early summer the trees were smaller. There were a lot of stinging nettles, no sign of smaller birds, no berries on the trees in the autumn. It was very undisturbed down there which was, in part, a good thing.

I was delighted the first time two young crows hopped around my feet and walked with me to the bees. They knew no fear having never seen humans at their young age.

The grass was long and getting through could be difficult, my visits have not gone unnoticed by the local dog walkers many of whom have made special journeys into the copse to see what I’m up to. The grass now has a clear track through it. Good for dry legs in early morning but also a more obvious entry to anyone who wants to be up to no good. Hive thefts/vandalism a regular worry to ‘beeks’.

The trees have grown well over the last year. Considering the copse was planted many years ago this year’s growth seems extraordinary and I think a lot of that is also down to the bees.

The bees have pollinated everything they could get their little wings on. Previously the only thing in the area were the bumblebees and there’s not many of them to be seen because there were no other flowers later in the season to keep them going. My regular journeys and the farmers thoughtfulness in mowing the track to help me, has allowed more wildflowers to grow along the verges. This in turn has encouraged more butterflies and bumblebees.

The smaller birds are also seen in larger numbers. I hope they are seeing all the insect activity in the air and are following it in. Hawthorn and cornus are full of berries this autumn which in turn will only attract more bird life.

The extra tree cover has also given them more nesting opinions and the leaves have blocked some of the stinging nettle growth and allowed other smaller weeds to grow. Miss C has been delighted with the caterpillars she kept finding.

More smaller birds are attracting birds of prey and so far as well as the buzzards, who sit and watch me work the hives, I’ve also flushed out sparrowhawks, kestrels, barn owls, the long eared owl I’ve written about previously and what I think was a goshawk. The trees are a wonderful quiet place for all birds to rest between visits around the villages. The pigeons and ring collar doves are really taking a hammering but they seem to be able to breed almost all year round so hopefully they will cope. The ground is regularly littered with corpses which in turn will attract fox and badgers, both of whom have left evidence of their presence even if my wildlife camera hadn’t caught them!

The trees are showing signs of being nibbled by rabbits or deer as well so I guess they also enjoy the solitude.

In all I claim credit on behalf of my fuzzy friends for what I hope will be the continued improvement to an amazing ecosystem. Let’s just hope it doesn’t become so nice that everyone starts to find it. Humans ruin nature, in my experience, and already empty water and beer bottles and the odd sweet wrapper are becoming a more regular occurrence.

The season’s coming to an end, it’s always sad to think another year is almost over but the future looks bright in one small copse of trees!