Apple harvests

When we were on holiday in Cornwall In October we visited Trelissick gardens who were preparing for an apple weekend. The apples were set out in bowls on shelves in the old stables. There was an amazing number of different varieties. We checked them all out but couldn't find any which resembled our allotment apples which are a type of pippin. They taste like a Cox's pippin but are quite red. There was a wonderful smell of apples as we wandered around the stables looking at the displays and I thought of the apples back home on our allotment apple tree.

We've had a lot of apples this year on our allotment apple tree. Just before we went on holiday we wondered whether to start picking them, but they didn't seem ready to come off the tree when we tried twisting them so we decided to wait until after the holiday.  We returned from holiday to find the ground underneath the tree full of apples which had fallen off. Most of these were badly damaged or half eaten by birds, so we left them there for the birds to finish them off.

There were still plenty left on the tree so we set to work on picking them, wrapped them in newspaper and stored them in boxes  as we always do. They are an eating apple and I find that they don't store well so we eat as many as we can before they go off.

Over at our old house where our daughter now lives, there is a Bramley apple tree, which again has produced plenty this year and my daughter is happy for us to take as many as we want. Bramley apples store very well, so I have taken a good number to store in the shed. They will keep for quite some time. 

At this time of year we often see boxes of apples outside people's houses with notes on for people to help themselves. Then there are the friendly neighbours who call round with a big bag of apples for us. I usually accept them with a smile but groan inwardly. I don't need any more apples I have enough of my own.

Through the garden gate--October

We were on holiday in Cornwall  for the first two weeks of October, so not much was done in the garden during October. We had some lovely fine autumnal weather whilst we were in Cornwall, but the day we left was the day the storms arrived. The sea was rough, the waves were lashing against the rocks and the day was grey.

Back home the garden was full of leaves and looked overgrown, but on closer inspection it wasn't as bad as I thought, a few plants had gone over and there weren't as many leaves on the trees, but many plants now have their lovely autumn colours.

Despite the stormy weather the sunflowers are still standing, they are quite tough and difficult to get out of the ground now. I'm quite surprised that some flowers just keep on growing. There's a passion flower growing up an obelisk which keeps producing the odd flower. There are spots of yellow in the borders from the rudbekia and a white valerian which has been flowering all summer looks very happy and shows no sign of giving up.

We have been very busy since we got back from holiday and I haven't done any weeding or tidying up, but soon I will find some time to get out and do some work.

 One job I have been doing is planting spring bulbs in pots--mainly crocus and narcissus for the garden tables and hyacinths for indoor display. The hyacinths are now tucked up under the bench in the shed for a few weeks until I can bring them into the house.

I have also been emptying pots of summer bedding plants and planting them up with autumn displays of cyclamen, violas and grasses.

We visited quite a few gardens whilst we were down in Cornwall, one of them being the Lost Gardens of Heligan. They had an absolutely magnificent harvest display in the shop area.

I am linking this post to Sarah's blog at 'Down by the Sea' for her monthly  'Through the Garden Gate' post.