A 'berry' good year and...

...a goat...or a couple of sheep....

...to mow the Mini-Meadow...

Berries are abundant this year.
(Photo taken in Kenfig Nature Reserve). 

My legs and hips are screaming in protestation of too much meadow-mowing the slow, laborious, bent double way.  20 bags of meadow hay I've hauled off to the tip...time to invest in a goat, a donkey or something that eats or sleeps in hay.  Mind you, it has been the perfect weekend for the task.   Not too hot or cold, no children to get in the way of sharp implements, no rain so got it bagged and tipped easily.

The garden looks very different, but I am ready for this seasonal change.   Soon the 'grass' will green up again and I can treat it like a regular lawn for a few months.

Yesterday...2/3 done and ...

Job done.  Looks a bit sad but will soon get greener.

I used manual hedge cutters to give the meadow its first cut.   This entails crouching, kneeling or sitting and gradually cutting through the matted meadow growth which I then stack and bag up.   Next stage is to strim it with just a light garden strimmer, not the petrol heavy duty one.   Lastly, a quick go over with the mower.   After every cut, a rake up, and bag the bits.   Meadows like poor nutrient soil so the clipping must not be left to rot down which will add nutrients to it.   I think I could use a scythe, but because the children and dogs do tend to play on the meadow it compacts down, so I think I would still have the initial problem of cutting through 'flopped-over' grasses.   Also I've never used a scythe ...maybe starting now wouldn't be my best idea...probably chop my own leg off!  Overall I am pretty pleased with this mowing.  I think next year I will just allow the meadow to have its head in the very centre of the garden and cut a circular path round it along the edges of the flower boarders.   That way I may be able to persuade children and dogs to keep off the meadow.  Farmers don't allow anyone to walk across meadows because it squashes down the growth and then it is not so beneficial to the very insects and wild life it is supposed to attract.  My idea is that maybe a less area of protected meadow will actually be more for the wildlife.

This summer, which has been a good summer overall, the garden really has been a wonderful place to be.

Garden path edged with sage, rosemary, lavenders.

The hanging baskets and patio are still a riot of colour.

The lavender is perfuming the garden beautifully.  I am eating fruit and vegetables just about every day that I've grown myself.   Soon the sweetcorn will be ready.  I am particularly proud of the butternut I've grown, that's been a huge success.

Butternut, and there are plenty more ripening.

Even the tomatoes have started to ripen.  Do you remember the Heath Robinson method of watering I set up?  I did that because I had read that tomatoes have so much more flavour if you can funnel the water to their roots.    I can say that this year is the first time that I have managed to grow tomatoes that taste quite as tomato-y and delicious.  I don't know if it is the method of watering them or the variety I've grown, Gardener's Delight...but the one or two I've had are superb.

Funnel for watering trough to the roots.

The failures I've had this year have been the apples.   That tree is really not well.   I have to research the reason why, see if I can remedy it.   The cucumbers were excellent but their vine got some sort of blight, rust, fungi.   As for that plum tree, it had blossom earlier in the year but fruit didn't set.   I'll feed the plum and apple, protect them from bugs and see if they do better next year.   And, as I said, I'll see what I need to do to make my sick apple tree better.  Next year I think I'll grow potatoes in containers, I think they work better that way.  I'll plant more peas, and less beans.  Beetroot are good too, I didn't plant enough this year.  And, next year I want to make a much better strawberry patch, maybe under glass...I'll ask Barry for a few old windows and make a special strawberry frame for them.

I see there is a new patio raspberry out.   I might invest in 3.   I haven't grown raspberries because I don't want to introduce something that would need a lot of pruning and care, these little patio variety might just be what I need.

It's called Ruby Beauty

Raspberry 'Ruby Beauty'™ (Summer Fruiting)

Rubus idaeus

Hardy Shrub

Summer fruiting.

A completely new concept for growing Raspberries! These compact dwarf raspberry canes reach just 1m (3’) high, making them perfect for large patio containers and smaller gardens. Try planting 1 raspberry plant per 10litre pot, or 3 to a 40 litre pot.

The multi branching floricanes of Raspberry 'Ruby Beauty'™ bear superb yields of deliciously sweet berries that we’ve come to expect from modern varieties. Thornless stems and a short stature make harvesting quick and easy too. Being low to the ground they can be netted with ease to protect the crops from greedy birds and the sturdy stems won’t need supporting either - perfect for the low maintenance garden. Height: 100cm (39"). Spread: 50cm (20").

Sounds perfect to me.

So the time of summer is coming to an end.   Mowing the meadow is only the start of getting ready for the next season.   There's a greenhouse to sort out and get ready for storing tender plants.   Also for planting some winter salads.  There's lots more harvesting to do...I love the busy-ness of the garden, ever changing with the seasons...

One other little surprise I've had this weekend.   The Mandavilla I thought was dead ...LIVES...and is about to produce a beautiful red flower.     It is climbing through the cucumber vines in the greenhouse.   I wonder if I bring it inside my house this winter if I can coax it to stay alive and be really splendid next year?

Never mind next year...it's late, I'm tired...more garden news next week.   

Have a great gardening week.