A cool but unexpectedly dry day! We are in tidying up mode now; the accessible beds were cleaned up, with the voluminous squash and cucumber vines removed, and weeds removed form the vegetable beds in preparation for mulching with fallen leaves, which will take place over the next few weeks.

The runner beans were thinned out as there is so much foliage that the beans are pale in colour as they have been shielded from the sun, but there are quite a few more beans to come. Bush beans have stopped cropping now so were cut down. Raspberry canes were also cut back, as although there are quite a few berries on them, there will not be enough sun to ripen them.

Further cutting back took place in the wild berry area, with both the red and blue elderberry shrubs reduced in height and thinned, as well as the thimble berry bushes. "Volunteer" oak saplings were also removed from this area, together with a vigorous growth of thistles! Today's harvest included carrots, parsnips, leeks, runner beans and herbs, and we all shared in a large squash from the Children's Garden which was cut into quarters for the volunteers and paired with herbs for a lovely roast squash dish!