I’ve not heard about tomato sauce before Roxy - I might try it when she is a bit more grown up.
More tidying up today - garden furniture is now put away until next year and I have been patching up the lawn and re-seeding the worse bits. Trouble is she digs as well and watches what I do. As fast as I put new soil in the holes and sprinkle grass seed on she digs it all up again. Our grass now has wire mesh panels laid all over it in the vain hope it will stop her digging everything up again. It still looks like a bomb site. 
I’ve not heard of that tomato sauce theory either, but worth a try I would think. Glad to hear that you’ve repaired your lawn in a fashion, although don’t you think sometimes that you’re swimming against the tide? :shock: 
have left my front bit to the meadow stuff that comes naturally, sure there was a slipper orchid a couple of years ago
It really is “in a fashion” Barry. Next thing will be all the leaves coming off the oaks - we get knee deep in them. The moles, squirrels, foxes etc. all do their bit of gardening, not to mention the flipping wood pigeons who use our summer-house and arch as a personal toilet. Our garden has always been a bit of an uphill struggle, so I don’t really know why I keep trying to tame it.
We gave the garden a real good tidy up over the W/E He did the digging and I weeded (groan) and sorted the tubs and baskets. Only 3 tubs left now, the ones with the wee marigolds in them. May get another couple of weeks out of them. Don’t grow veg as his folks have the Market Garden down the road and I pop down there and pull whatever I need from the ground lol.
Have to add, because I can’t quite believe it…but my 6’ sunflower snapped during the heavy wind recently, and Mr Berxer just stuck it back in the ground…well, it’s taken and yellow petals are now quite visible. Strange, I thought. 
Wow Berxer, that’s unusual; didn’t think it could do that!
That is fantastic Berxer!! It must be a strong one then, save some seeds for next year?
My one and only attempt at growing a sunflower was this year. The Brownie pack gave one of my grandaughters one in a weeny little pot. It is now over 10 ft tall. It was so important to her that we staked it well so survived those bad storms we had. When do I cut it to save the seeds, the birds are not eating them yet?
Nor me…Mr Berxer (ever the hopeful) thought it might save it, and it has! 
Shall definitely save some seeds from it. Like you though, not sure when this should be.
Climbed up a tall ladder this morning and plucked out a few of the things that I thought were sunflower seeds. They are only weeny little round yellow things with a yellow flower thingy on the end. So obviously not ready yet. So hard to see what’s going on up there when the plant’s over 10ft and I am 5ft!
Those will turn into seeds after pollination; depending on your variety they’ll be black or black with white stripes. If the birds don’t get them first!
Thanks Eileen, the birds and I are both keeping our eys peeled.
I am thick at gardening, although I do understand pollination. How will they get pollinated without any bees around?
Why do you think there are no bees around? You may not have noticed any, but I’m sure they are there. Colony die-off is a problem everywhere, but they’re not gone, just less of them…
I just thought they’d disappear with the colder weather coming on. Glad to know they are still keeping busy out there.
Hello seaspirit,
Maybe a compost bin would answer your problem. This year I have been very lucky with my tomatoes in the greenhouse. Just removed all the leaves to allow ripening to continue. 0utside I grew carrots, onions, leeks, peas and broad beans. Was a fairly good year so like everyone else I am now clearing the garden out. Good luck with scooter.
Cleared out some more plantpots today and decided no more lillies in pots so they have all gone into the ground.
Why does the clearing up the garden at the end of the season seem harder work than the work you do at the beginning?
In the Spring it’s all about anticipation! In the Autumn it’s sad to know it’s shutting down and everything will be cold, dark and dismal for months.
Thats so true Eileen, although I do like to get the garden nice and tidy with all the bits and pieces put away - it makes it look bigger and I know I won’t have to do much for a few months. This year’s efforts were a bit of a struggle to manage - I must be getting old. Next year it will have to be a lot simpler with not so many annuals, bedders and pots to look after.
I haven’t closed down for winter yet - I planted up two hanging baskets today with winter pansies and cyclamen. I do like to see a bit of colour during the miserable cold and wet Winter months…
I enjoy clearing the garden ready for winter, as it means I will have less to do for a few months. Don’t get me wrong, I love growing things for the kitchen but it takes up so much of the day sometimes, and some jobs, such as watering, can’t be avoided.
So the autumn is here now and I look forward to other pleasures, like the colours of the forest and walking through all the dropped leaves, lighting the fire in the evenings and listening to the lashing rain on the windows, making comforting food like thick soups with root vegetables…
I love the change in season, every season has it’s pleasures and I wouldn’t have it any other way really…