The Kitchen garden in October

To me the autumnal leaves have been better this year than any other I can remember. On our half term trip visiting friends in Wiltshire, I often thought this must be a taste of what the renowned Canadian Fall foliage is like at this time. The garden seems to be successfully fighting off the calls of winter, we’ve got many plants in flower, several on their second flush for the year. My sowings of winter salad, green manure, garlic, peas, broad beans and hardy annual seeds have all emerged and doing well. I think I’ll have to buy some fleece to pop over them if we have the exceptionally cold winter we seem to be promised by commentators,and the large quantities of holy and other berries in the hedgerows (generally a good guide to a severe winter). As always below is my monthly round up in pictures.

End of October Vegetable BedsThe top vegetable beds, still producing spinach and salad

Garlic shootsThe garlic sown a couple of weeks ago is thriving in this warm weather, I’m hopeful for large bulbs next year

Broad bean shootsBroad bean shoots

Pea shootsPea shoots

Green manure shootsGreen manure seedlings

Salad seedlings, seed tape v seedSeed tape (background) v hand sown (foreground) winter salad, hand sown is winning so far although I think I was a little heavy handed with the seed!

VerbascumVerbascum looking pretty

Penstemon - Just JaynePenstemon ‘Just Jayne’, a hard working garden essential, the colour in the blooms is not quite as vibrant as a month ago but still looking good

October dahlia bedThe dahlia bed

Dahlia HalloweenAn October dahlia, ‘Halloween’

AlstroemeriaAlstroemeria

Centaurea montanaCentaurea montana

Knautia macedonica 'melton pastels'Knautia macedonica ‘melton pastels’

Fuji Cherry TreeFuji Cherry Tree, not only does it have beautiful spring blossom but stunning autumn leaves, a great tree for a small garden

Holly BerrriesOur garden indicator of a cold winter, holy berries. I can guarantee there’ll be none left when I’m out cutting for Christmas foliage!

Chilli Ring of fireChilli – Ring of fire, we’ve had a great crop this year and they’re still going strong

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