On Saturday, kitted out in my new stripy pinny, I tackled a job that I have been putting off… getting the limery sorted for winter.
Now that the temperatures have dropped, we’re not spending so much time out there – although it’s an excellent location for hand sewing as the light is so good. We are tending to drink our morning coffee in the kitchen and most of the plants that filled the space have died or died back, although the citrus trees are now in there after their summer outside and there’s one tomato plant that’s still surviving.
There were two main jobs that needed doing: cleaning and cutting back. I like to give the pepper plants a chance to survive the winter (although it’s a bit hit and miss), but they need to be pruned back. Some of the carnivores die back, and it’s important to keep them tidy and not swamped by decomposing leaves. So, all the peppers were chopped back to stems, the insectivorous plants cleaned up and I put all of them outside in the sunshine whilst I gave the windows and sills a thorough cleaning (mainly with white vinegar).
Finally, everything was returned to the limery and a few of the potted herbs were brought in – rosemary (I tend to lose this outdoors over the winter), sage and oregano – as well as the (still small) tea plant. The passion fruit was already nice and tidy, so I think we are all set for a period without much growth of anything.
It feels like winter is really here, although I remind myself that it’s only about six weeks before I’ll have to get the propagator out for sowing the 2017 peppers and chillies, which just goes to show how the limery has extended our gardening year!
Oh and remember, if you want to have a chance of winning my little crochet decorations, you need to leave a comment on last Thursday’s post telling me what’s making you smile this week (a ‘like’ won’t do).
The Snail of Happiness 