By Nick Condron
Already three-quarters through September, autumn seems colder and wetter than in recent years despite the odd scorching hot day. As a result, the sun-powered growth of summer has been checked and it’s time to reap the remaining harvest from our abundant vegetable beds inside and out.
Beans are being picked, dried and stored; juicy tomatoes are being savoured in salads and roasted for delicious sauces and soups; and impressively elongated trombone squashes are being shared with others, such as local Greek Cypriot community members whom they remind of home.
The flower of the moment is the beautifully purple Michaelmas daisy which gives its name to the first term of the new academic year and takes it from Saint Michael, whose Feast Day is celebrated on the 29th. It looks particularly stunning when paired with the contrasting bright gold of Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm, which brightens even the greyest of autumn mornings.
Savouring such beauty, reflecting upon the alchemical metamorphosis at the heart of horticulture is always uplifting: the transformation of decaying organic matter into the beautiful blooms that adorn our gardens. Pure magic! As we’ve detailed before, the vital first step is to combine nitrogen-rich green garden weeds and clippings with carbon-rich brown stuff such as cardboard waste provided by the plates and cups from our open days on the compost heap.
We’ve now switched from cold to hot composting, and the ideal temperature range reached inside is between 49–71°C (120–158°F). This heat results from the metabolic activity of microbes in the bin as they decompose the compost. It can be monitored to check the health of the composting system using a compost thermometer, or you can try putting a piece of metal in the pile for about 10 minutes and then holding it to your wrist to see if it feels hot. Our results are stunning, and interestingly a pH test revealed that the hot compost is neutral, in comparison to compost from the colder heap which was slightly more acidic, so presumably better for the chalk-loving coastal plants that thrive here on the Isle of Thanet with our chalk bedrock.
Looking ahead, we’re collecting and storing all sorts of flower and vegetable seeds from artichokes to parsnips and zinnias; ordering spring bulbs for planting over the next month or so; and raking leaves, deadheading faded blooms and keeping the garden tidy for our forthcoming Autumn Leaves Open Day.
If you can join us for coffee, tea and cake; our plant stall and all of our colourful and wonderful arts and crafts creations we’d all love to see you on Saturday 2nd November from noon – 3 pm.
Until then, or the next time you fancy popping in to visit the garden, Happy Gardening!
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