Re: Preparing for Winter

What a waste of money Solo. Are those sacks for the bin men to take away or do you take them over the tip yourself? If the bin men take them, I bet they complain if they pick up the bags and they fall apart all over the place.

Is there really a green tomato soup, or were you kidding me?

Re: Preparing for Winter

You have to use the sacks and there is a line 3/4 of the way up that you have to fill too. If the bottom has got weak and they split the bin men will not take them.

If you pack fresh cut stuff, its springy and you cannot get much into these things..The trick is to let your cuttting dry back where possible so that you can compress lots into the sack.

Yes their is a recipe for Green tomato soup. I will pop it in Homemade Soup in Foods section

Re: Preparing for Winter

I am shattered tonight, I took down the runner beans, cut back a tree and trimmed my neighbours leylandii which encroaches on my garden along with his bamboo


I now have a car load for the tip on Wednesday. Lots more to do tomorrow if I can still move..

Re: Preparing for Winter

A busy day then, Meg. Never mind, they keep telling us exercise is good for us. Nice hot bath might help

Re: Preparing for Winter

I've made a start on my autumn work, I've binned my tomato plants ( a VERY poor crop this year after a VERY good crop last year) and spread my homemade compost on the garden ready for when I start winter digging. My runner beans have just a few more beans on them then they can go into the newly emptied bins. My fruit trees all want pruning so that is the next job.

Re: Preparing for Winter

A busy time indeed, Alan. Do you have someone in to do your trees or can you manage them yourself?

Re: Preparing for Winter

I do them myself Mups. They are all smallish trees which I can reach from a step ladder (I haven't fallen off them so far !).

Re: Preparing for Winter

Couldn't do anything today as one of our local foxes decided to spread herself out on the lawn for a sunny beauty session and once she had completed that it was time for her snooze.

This one brings her babies to play on the lawn in the spring so I am used to her and we both respect each others privacy. Although she passes through daily, it could be weeks before she stays for the day again.

Re: Preparing for Winter

A sight to be hold , could you take any photos to put on here

Re: Preparing for Winter

Last week and this week have been good dry days for clearing up and taking stock ready for next year. Most things have been sorted ready for the winter now and I decided all the perennials I divided, and potted on earlier will have to take their chance in the ground. It's been a very good growing season for us this year and I gave quite a few plants away as well as planting some. They will all die down and (as usual) I will forget where I put them until (hopefully) they pop up again in the spring. I try to put markers in, but they seem to disappear. Must be the squirrels or the birds. Our garden is mostly a flower and shrub garden and I like to try and keep some colour going for most of the year but I think we are both reaching a point now where we are going to have to try to make the garden easier to look after or move to somewhere with a smaller garden which will be more manageable.