Yesterday my husband decided that it was time to clear our small greenhouse of what remained of our tomatoes 'Gardener's Delight' and to harvest what could be saved. We agreed to do this earlier than our custom - or was that just our memories are coloured by the south east where the sun shines brightly through September? Our greenhouse is now cleaned and tidied, set aside for over-wintering tender culinary herbs such as thyme, some basil 'Minette' which has done well and later on the penstemons in pots and the jasmine by the porch. The outdoor jasmine by our shed is yielding its last few flowers before the autumn gales begin.
I was filled with a sense of sadness. This year's growing season seems to have passed so quickly. My husband nurtured his tomato seedlings indoors whilst sub-zero temperatures and strong winds blew in from the east. Then spring arrived - but I don't really recall it. After that came weeks and weeks of unbroken heat. Our greenhouse tomatoes flourished, but our lawn grew brown and we were watering it with dishwashing 'grey water' and leaving the herbaceous perennials to fend for themselves. The poppies loved it.
At last, in answer to many prayers, the weather broke and the usual north western showers resumed. Temperatures dropped, our grass grew and it was time to harvest the tomatoes. The weather now swings between late summer and autumn, the blackberries are mostly washed out and in our hedge the hips and haws abound.
My husband has taken the soil and compost from the tomato containers and enriched our depleted border, where the bulbs lie dormant ready for another spring.
