Update!

Once again I find myself having to apologise for not having posted recently, all I can say is I've had time off work with a bad back, then broke a tooth and had to take more time off (was in hospital til 1am in the morning with it!), and finally had it pulled out today!

Anyhows, it looks like the weather has turned, the trees are beginning to change colour, and autumn is here, along with the bounty of the ongoing harvest and the realisation that things are soon going to be out of time, so the last chances for crops to ripen!

We're still harvesting lots, a normal week will see us harvest about 15 to 20lb of tomatoes, about 8 to 16 large courgettes, a couple of cucumbers, an aubergine, a couple of peppers, about 5lb of runner beans, about 5lb of peas, a cabbage or two, and a few other odds and ends. Most of the toms and courgettes are being processed into tomato sauce / soup / pasta sauce, which we now have over 40x 1 1/2lb bags frozen in the chest freezer for the coming year! We've now got about 20lb of runner beans frozen for use in the winter, so think we may be alright for them!

On the plot we've lots more toms still to come, the autumn fruiting rasps and late strawbs are now starting, looks like a possible bumper rasp harvest, the pumpkins are ripening nicely, looks like this years squash and pumpkin harvest is gonna beat the 30 we had last year by a long way, the celery is looking good, as are the sprouts and winter brassicas! The first bed of leeks is also going really well, plus the sweetcorn is starting to ripen, hpefully there will still be time for us to get enough to see us thru the winter! Next year we're going to have to start it off earlier!

So, overall, although the weather hasnt been fantastic, we've been doing ok, just a shame about all the weeds that this type of weather brings out! Anyhows, onto the balance sheet!

Total costs so far this growing year
Rent (for 2 full plots and a half plot) £100
Seeds £30Seed Spuds £20
Compost / Grow Bags £20
Fertilizers etc £20
Muck £10
Lopper (tool from wilkos) £13
Total costs £213

Total Harvests
2 batches overwintered garlic (97 bulbs) =£50
Rasps 25lb =£206 (£8.40 a lb at Tescos!)
Strawbs 12lb =£60 (£5 a lb at Tescos!)
Courgettes x 150 =£75
Rhubarb 21lb = £42
Cucumber 40 = £20
Chillies / peppers = £10
Spuds 90lb = £60 (£0.50 -0.80lb at Tescos)
Onions = £75
Radish =£8
Mange Tout 20lb = £50 (£2.50lb at Tesco)
Broad Beans 15lb = £30 (£2lb at Tesco)
Lettuce x 8 = £5
Broccolli = £20
Cabbage = £20
Caulis = £10
Carrots = £15
Tomatoes 65lb = £80 (£1.22lb at Tescos)
Peas = £20
Runner Beans 20lb = £ 40
French Beans = £15
Mushrooms = £3
Apples = £8
Aubergines = £2
Total Harvest so far 2008 = £924 - a profit now of £711!!

So, with winter brassicas, leeks, apples, rasps, blackberries, peppers, chillies, runner beans, swedes, turnips, carrots, jerusalem fartichokes, pumpkins, squashes, sweetcorn, celery and herbs to harvest, I have a feeling we may well have an overall harvest equivalent of a lot more yet!

Hope your harvesting is going as well as ours!