It maybe October, but today I have been busy picking the second crop of broad beans. It's really good to have fresh broad beans this late in the year and it's easy to produce a second crop, especially in a good summer. This is a tip for next year but worth bearing in mind if you like broad beans and are already thinking about what to grow next year. These images were taken today, just before posting this blog on  5.10.2013. You will see in the image top left, the new growth  on the broad beans is lush and green. The image in the centre left shows the tender new beans. 

To get a second crop you need to take stock of the bean plants during the summer. In mid to late summer, around July , after many plants  had cropped well and some of the foliage was looking tired,  I cut some of the beans back, down to around 15-20cms and during the rest of the summer the beans put on new growth. Since it has been such a good summer, this allowed new flowers to form and now, throughout  September and into October a new, light crop of beans.  I have left some older plants to grow on so that the mature bean pods can dry out for seed gathering, shown in the last image bottom left. 

Broad beans are very vigorous and have grown back strongly after being cut back, and with the benefit of good weather, the plants have formed a second late crop. If I had been sufficiently organised to feed them as well I am sure the crop would have been even better, but there is never enough time for everything.

And on the subject of vigorous plants so too are tomato plants and even though it's late in the year, they will carry on growing, side shoots, more leaves and taller, none of which is needed at this time of year. Keep cutting off the top growth, side shoots and excess leaves. Also, as clearly not all the tomatoes will have time to swell and mature, it's best to cut off the tiny tomatoes so that the plant's energy is channelled into the remaining fruit. In the images below, on the left the tomato has old flowering shoots and some small fruit; and on the right they have been removed. 

Sweet peas can be sown in the Autumn and the benefits are to produce sturdier plants, earlier in the spring, ready to plant out which will have better developed root systems and flower earlier.

Autumn sown sweet peas are sown and germinated  the same as in the Spring. Sweet peas are best germinated into deep containers, preferably root trainers. I avoid using toilet rolls for autumn sown sweet peas as the Sweet pea plants will be in the containers for a lot longer, and there will be more chance of them getting damp and musty, or black mould and generally not holding up so well, for which reason root trainers or deep pots are best. Root trainers because they are deeper allow a greater root run and developement, you can re use year after year, and they are hinged at the base so you can lift the plant out with little root disturbance when you are ready to plant out.

Sow the sweet peas into root trainers, (as in image 1) and sow a few centimetres below the surface ensuring you have firmed down the soil to make sure there are no air pockets which are damaging to young roots. (image 2) If a root grows into an air pocket, its a bit like a vacuum, and the root may struggle and die so firm up  the soil and then cover the sweet pea lightly with soil. Water a little, or use a spray, and place in propagator to germinate. (image 3) It is best to place out of direct sunlight but somewhere warm,  such as floor of greenhouse, on newspaper if cold,  and remove from propagator as soon as they germinate.

Over the winter you need to keep the sweet peas away from the worst of the weather. Although they are hardy to around -2 degrees sweet peas will not enjoy being exposed to the winter without some protection. If in a cold frame, ventilate well and prop open, during chilly and even cold weather, up to -2 and then close for the severe frosts, snow or heavy rain. If in a green  house try and ventilate as much as possible during milder spells.

In early spring the plants will need to be hardened off carefully and then plant out in the usual way. More information about growing sweet peas

One of the good things I like about gardening is that by this time of year, as the garden starts to slow down, plans are already in the making for next years garden. I'm thinking next year I am not going to plant bedding plants, except a few recycled Pelargoniums (Geraniums) and that's because they overwinter so well. Instead, in the areas often filled with bedding, I am going to sow wildflower seeds. I guess a few bedding plants will creep in but in the main along two walled  borders which are often candidates for bedding there will be wildflowers.

I am coming to the view that bedding plants are expensive, and high maintenance in terms of  planting, dead heading and watering. Wild flowers are easy to seed, very attractive, loved by bees and butterflies and better value. I have this year and last, made a wild flower patch and for more about planting a  wildflower patch follow the link, and its much easier than you may think.

As an experiment next year I am going to sow seed into the borders. The images right show the wildflower patch now which I think looks good for September and has been in flower for months. This year I used a wildflower roll/Matt and a seed mix. Last year the wildflower roll/Matt did very well, but this year it was a  bit disappointing. In the images on the right this is the seed mix, which has done much better and was cheaper. There are several different types of wildflower seed mixes you can buy and I think I'll mix and match wildflower seed next year instead of Petunias and Lobelia . It will be a fun to try if nothing else.

This time of year, early autumn, is ideal for collecting seed . I like to grow foxgloves, when I say grow, they grow themselves really, but they are so attractive to the bees and stand out in the border . Digitalis are good self seeders and distribute seed naturally on the wind all around the garden. I usually let them seed themselves randomly but also I like to get a clump growing together for better effect and to do this I pick a few of the seed heads, as they are drying, and take to a suitable spot in the garden and distribute, shake out, the seed. Each seed head containers hundreds of seeds and this is a good time of year to do it. I also seed some into the propagator and grow on separately  so I can have some extra plants . Bear in mind that Digitalis, Foxgloves are Biennials which means generally they raise foliage one year and flowers the next but if you get them established in the garden you will not notice their Biennual nature as some will always be in flower each season. This year a lovely white  Digitalis with a speckled purple throat arrived and I decided it was definitely a candidate for saving seed so I can get it established in the garden.

All Digitalis are loved by bees which is for me reason enough to grow them. At this time of year I start to think of next year and changes to the garden, mistakes and good points. If you are thinking of growing more bee friendly plants follow the link for some ideas for next year. Its just great in the summer to look at the plants and see them covered in bees and butterflies and all the plants listed in the wildlife section are bee magnets.

Many annuals are really easy to collect and grow from seed such as Sweet Peas, Nigella (love in the mist) Calendula (English Marigold) Californian poppies. Centaurea ( Cornflower) Nasturtium Helianthus annus (Sunflowers ). Save the seed into envelopes and for annuals and spring sowing  I keep it in the fridge over winter so its cool and dry.