Autumn garden update

While the trees are making their transition into winter, dropping golden leaves down upon us like rain, over in our garden there is always something to focus on which is just at the beginning of its life cycle, giving a certain spring-like feeling. A feeling I would like to share with you now 🌱

As always, we troop to the garden with the two cats when they are around. They are of course very much a part of this family.

They love this bit of the journey as we pass through a little forest to get to our plot which is around a three minute walk from our home.

On a cloudy day one month before Christmas she's looking a little bare I will admit, but look closer and there you will find the good stuff.

Like these lettuces for example. We have two varieties all over the place so you can be sure I will continue to eat daily salads throughout the winter period.

Some baby peas pushing through the soil here.

Beans are also appearing at this time of year.

Six rows of carrots & beetroot.

The radishes have been producing well all year but their season is pretty much done now.

The raspberries are also done for the year and need trimming, yet still they give me a few more each time I visit.

The ginger is going strong despite the lower temperatures. I will be sure to get some shots of it when I finally dig it up.

One red pepper ready for picking.

The beetroot has been great all year and will keep going through the winter too.

The leeks are rather like the beetroot, not minding the cold at all.

Time to pick these pumpkins I think!

The persimmons are ripe at this time of year and one must pick them before the birds discover this unusually late fruit which for them is a very sweet Christmas present.

I had never experienced the flavour of a persimmon before living in France and I must say they are very lovely. Perfect for smoothies ;)

Here are Esteban & Luna in their little space.

This is their 'second home' which also now comes with two small garden areas in which Esteban has planted beans & peas. I built a decent frame for the peas today.

And the team were pleased with my work :)

So pleased they did a little dance...

...and kissed for the camera.

While baby cat played with the teepee window ;)

Sabrina was super busy today planting things in the beds I have prepared. A row of onions here.

These will go in front of two rows of peas against the fence because this area gets pretty good sun in the winter.

Especially now that I have cut the cherry trees opposite them (after a mental note from a previous post in which I observed that the upper levels were unreachable, leading to much waste).

We are growing peas in these two framed areas.

It is useful with peas & beans to stagger the planting so that the harvesting also lasts multiple months.

This is our winter lunch zone, where the sun is best at this time of year. The lemon & avocado trees you can see in the foreground must be moved into our courtyard before the snow.

Yes, that hammock is a very good place to behave like a child ;)

And boom, down they go.

Fifi has seen it all before. Not bothered.

The trampoline has been a superb investment.

But I want a bigger one for next year!

Sabrina planting more beans here, behind the trampoline.

Don't know how but we have this one carrot here, surrounded by lettuces. A carrot seed drifted in from somewhere. Luna has told us it will be her eating it!

I cleaned out these grow bags (which still had some potatoes in) and put back five baby ones into each with fresh soil, ready for next season.

I added a little more soil and will leave them here till the growth appears. Over time I will add more and more soil, rolling up the sides of the grow bags till they are full. This encourages the growth of potatoes throughout the bag.