With all of the rain recently, it feels like the allotment has turned into a bog! We had to wait two weeks to be able to plant the trees. There was either never a long enough break in the rain to plant them or the ground was too sodden. Luckily, we were able to plant them this week.

The runner beans have finally been taken down. I removed all of the swollen bean pods and saved the seeds. I can’t believe just how big they’ve swelled. Several people have said they have never seen beans so large, so I must be doing something right! We have left the roots in the ground, as we have heard they are nitrogen rich – but sources vary. They will rot down either way, although it is advised not to plant beans in the same area as the year before.

We have finally harvested our last crop, which was celeriac. It was a win-fail crop. We were given three (or so we thought) plugs and planted them as was, but it turned out that months later the three plugs contained several plants! Our celeriac grew, but no where near to the size it should have. It varied in size, from golf ball to small orange sized. They should be around the size of swede. I don’t think we will try growing these next year.

The first seeds for next season have finally been sown. I adore sweet peas and sowing them now will ensure an earlier bloom. They are now sat in the windowsill of the shed to ensure that they germinate. Naturally, I chose a purple colour palette.

I’ll leave you with the last of the lavender blooms. I had already picked the butterfly lavender (deep purple) a month or so ago, so I was surprised that it grew back so quickly. The English lavender only produced two stems this year, but that’s two stems more than expected! I can only hope the plants are bursting with lavender next year.