Summer’s end

The garden really has a feeling of summer’s end at the moment. The days are getting shorter much too quickly. This is something you are so aware of when you keep chickens as they come out later, retire earlier and they have shorter days outside and longer nights inside.

At this time of year I love the late colour that sedums bring to the garden.

This sedum brings a welcome splash of colour to the garden

And another one

Looking up towards the chicken run

And another splash of colour

I don’t know the name of this plant as I was given a bit of it by a relative many years ago. I have since moved it from two past gardens to this one and it took ages to get going here despite being rampant in previous gardens. Finally it has become established and is looking lovely. It echoes the colour of the sedums.

The veg plot has been a bit of a mixed bag this year.

One side of the veg plot

There are loads of tomatoes and I am ecstatic that it’s the first year we have had no blight on them but they are very slow to ripen. I hope the corn cobs ripen but if not the chooks will have them. The leeks have been the best we have ever had but the courgettes have been the worst we have ever had. They get to about two inches long then rot, blossom rot apparently. I have always grown them in pots before and will do so again next year.

The other side of the veg plot

The runner beans have also been the worst crop we have ever had with only a few meals from them. Behind them are the potatoes. We have cut off the dead stalks and are digging them up one plant at a time as we need them they are quite good. There is another sedum next to the beans which is a self seedling.

The girl’s dandelion and chard patch

The girl’s dandelion and chard patch is looking really good and I pick them leaves and pass them through the wire every day. They love to peck them from my hands as it’s easier than from the ground.

Plus a few more leeks

There is also an overflow of leaks here but as I use them I am replacing them with more salad leaves for the girls. They are a mix of leaves that will keep producing as they are picked and will go on through winter.

Last but definitely not least the girls. Butterscotch has now laid three eggs, since she came out of being broody, despite dropping more feathers than any of the other girls. I just can’t believe she is laying while moulting so heavily.

I have only two more days of worming to go before completing the seven day course but I haven’t seen any worms since that first one which made me decide to worm them now. I am surprised that I haven’t seen any more since I started worming.

Peaches and Barley both look really scruffy now but the rest of the girls don’t look bad while moulting. The girls have been having loads of dust baths during the day.

I do wonder how long Butterscotch will continue to lay, having a girl moult and lay eggs is new to me.

Speckles is still quite wary of me but Butterscotch will now take greens from my hands and seems quite comfortable with me. It took Toffee quite a long time to be comfortable with me so I think it’s the same with Speckles. She is still wary of the other girls, as well as me, apart from Toffee.

All in all though I feel the flock has settled together really well and they often hang out together in a tight group. I love seeing them sticking close together and feel that apart from the usual pecking order issues they are a happy flock.

I am looking forward to spring when the girls are all fully feathered and start laying again. It will be interesting to see how well Speckles lays and how often Butterscotch goes broody and if Topaz stays just the same. These are all things to be discovered in a new year but at the moment the girls are settling in to the coming winter months whilst making the most of dust baths in any available patches of sun.