Cold toes

22 October 2007

It’s meant to be a post about my garden, but all I can think about at the moment is how cold my toes are. They are cold. Autumn is definitely here now and when I go outside to visit my pumpkins the cold air clings to my clothes and my breath freezes in the air as I spare a few encouraging words for my forthcoming harvest. Light frosts have wilted the leaves of my pumpkin vines, so where there was once a lush vine climbing the back wall of Juniper Lodge, it now looks as though someone’s somewhat randomly hung up a dead plant as festive ornament. The gourds are still growing and can survive a light frost easily enough. Harvest might be this weekend … or it might not. We’ll see.

Going somewhat against the grain of my inclination to be just a fair weather gardener, I’ve actually planted a new crop that will grow over winter. Garlic needs a couple of months of cold, frosty weather to make the cloves you plant split and grow into bulbs. So, best of both worlds for me. I get to look clever and diligent for planting something this late in the year, when actually it’s more a case of poking the cloves into the ground and calling “Ciao, see you in the spring!” as I run back indoors to hug the radiator and eat Jaffa Cakes.