Hasn’t the weather been glorious of late! We have definitely been soaking it up and making the most of it. I do love Autumn but I know that it can hit us ever so suddenly and it’s all over rover before the togs have even dried on the washing line!

I’m hoping the good weather lasts long enough for my tomatoes to ripen. I must admit I got a little despondent with all the crap weather we were having that I kind of neglected my tomatoes and some of my plants went hell for leather creating laterals and beautiful bushiness, at the expense of my fruit. I gave them all a trim last week and I have a couple of mighty plants with a mere two tomatoes growing, gah! A good reminder lesson to keep those laterals (the growth in-between the main stem and branches) pinched out and to trim off excess leaves (so the toms get the warmth of the sunshine to ripen).

I got a bit slack in mounding up my potatoes this year too, but I’m pretty happy with the harvest all the same. Red Rascals, big beautiful Agria and Matariki (they’re still in the ground). Potatoes are such a winning crop to grow, home grown organic potatoes taste so much better and the satisfaction of digging them up.. it’s good for the soul! If you grow them in containers it’s pretty good for the ego too. You just tip them out and you feel oh so clever for not having to get your hands dirty!

After harvesting your potatoes from the garden grow some mustard in it place to cleanse the soil and keep it nicely covered for winter. As long as my potatoes don’t get scab I grow them in the same plot for three years, so mustard is really important for my particular garden.

The herb garden has been going off, and the bees are LOVING it. They filled up on motherwort, then catnip, now they’re onto the oregano. Always the borage, and white sage has been there for them all summer too.

White sage plants have been more popular than ever this season and I am coming near to the end of my stock, unfortunately there will be a good few people missing out, I’m sorry!! I have re-homed 170 white sage plants so far this season, phew!

Full moon tomorrow, I have my spring bulbs ready to plant out, where exactly will be todays job! If you haven’t checked out what to do this month in the garden according to Maramataka Māori, I’ve worked it all out for you here.