“So what do you do in the winter then?” a non-gardening friend asked me at the beginning of October. Well, I.dont know, about you but I have a list of jobs as long as my arm. Some have been completed already, such as the greenhouse which has been cleared, washed down, and fumigated, with a few over-wintering lettuce now occupying the grow bags which previously housed the tomatoes and melons. There is still much to be done, however, the
old apple tree needs a bit more attention, there is winter digging to be completed and the compost heap to be re-sited. I cleared the dahlias away early this year, before the frost blackened them, and the wallflowers have now been planted in their place. There is still time to get a few more tulips in and after that I really must start giving the shed a good clear out as well. Meanwhile, as far as the Society Committee is concerned, the show season may be over, but there are schedules to be revised and printed, membership lists to be drawn up for next year and accounts to be prepared for auditing. On top of all that we also have the planning for our contribution to the Millennium Village Day to finalise. The best job of all, however, is to choose the seeds for next year. In fact nothing emphasises the continuity of the gardening year so much as the fact that almost immediately the Autumn Show is over, the seed catalogues start dropping through the letter box. So I have several pleasant evenings to look forward to, sifting through the catalogues in front of a blazing log fire. Oh yes! Thats another job to be done – chopping up firewood, now where did I put that list? John Hopkins