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That's it - summer's over! There was a definite hint of autumn in the air this week - a certain crispness to the morning air, a dampness of dew underfoot and a freshening breeze.Even the plants seem to know that autumn is on its way, the odd leaf

Where does the old season end and the new one begin? For allotmenteers it can feel like something of a continuum - these days you can buy excellent plug plants of winter lettuce and oriental greens that will take you right through winter, if you

plums from Italy. The only British plums I've tasted this season are from my neighbour on the allotment.It's all rather depressing really. The majority of consumers are either too busy or too indifferent to write to supermarkets demanding that they stock

and make sure you keep the middle of the plant open - the idea is to create a sort of goblet shape to allow plenty of air to circulate through the plant to prevent mildew.If redcurrants are what you're after, there are around 40 types grown at Wisley, which

, low-maintenance and rewarding. Considering their price at the supermarket, they are also inexpensive.Don't be tempted to impulse-buy those specimens stuffed into pots that you see in large garden centres. In my experience, mail order plants from

water and frozen too as it takes a good while for me to eat a season's corn. Paul doesn't like sweet corn - or so he informed me after we grew an enormous bed of it the year before last! This year we only grew half a bed so about 10 plants and that seems

hat and socks were de rigueur for the appropriately attired allotmenteer. And, admittedly a week later than scheduled, the great tidy up began.As I predicted, everything had been turned to mush by the previous frosts; courgette plants, squashes, beans

'allotment bodging'.In fact, he almost takes too much pride in it and is liable to get rather carried away in the perfection of projects. He also gets frustrated by Lizzy's and my attitude of "oh, that'll do."Paul is of the school that 'if a job's worth doing

the plot. We're now planning to plant some spuds and build a compost bin this weekend.

and mushy – especially on the allotment. Overnight my nasturtiums, courgettes, squashes and pumpkins perished. Their remains looked messy and certainly didn’t reflect my autumnal efforts at weeding and tidying. Poor Ron next door has lost his rows of cutting