Homeschool Garden Club - Jobs for November

There is a distinct chill in the air now the clock has gone back. As we come together at the Homeschool Garden Club garden. Ut is time to clean up and tendering to the crops for the kitchen, so the cookery club can still cook over the winter period.

We have been learning some areas ready to sow some more broad beans. These were the surprise of the year. Last year, many of members didn't know what these were, hadn't eaten them and wasn't sure they would like them. However, the flowers were adored by bees and learners alike. Once we got over the idea of de-poding and then peeling of the second skin, the beans were a huge favourite. Clearly we need to grow more!

Our green beans were ok but not in the right place, so we are thinking about where we could better place them and digging out a trench so we can add garden waste, newspaper and compost to the bottom to feed the plants better next year, in the hope of a better yield.

We are coming to the end of harvesting the apples, Brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, chicory, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, peas, raspberries and Swiss chard.

We have foraged for some meddlers, rose hips and carb apples. We had a lovely walk and made a few jars of jelly and jam for the Christmas Dinner Challenge. Another thing made for the Christmas dinner table! The rose hip jelly well go really well with roasted meat and on Boxing Day with cold meat. We also made rose hip syrup from a WW2 recipe. During WW2 rose hips were used as a source of vitamin C. It can be sourced in the fridge in a concentrated form. It can be drunk by adding hot water for a warming drink on cold days or with cold water as a squash.

Some of us have had better success with the pumpkins than others. Halloween is pumpkin season and while some grew for the lanterns, when it came to it they didn't want them wasted. So, the Orchard Training Cookery Club shared their pumpkin soup recipes and how to make savoury snacks from the seeds.

The weather watcher among us have warned us that poor weather is expected. So, it is time to insulate any none frost proof pots to prevent both the pot cracking and the plant's roots freezing.

It is now time to think about the birds. we are looking to cover any plants in the ground from the pigeons. Although both the prisons and squirrels are doing perfectly ok raiding the bird table.

Those of us taking part tint he Christmas Dinner challenge are staking out Brussel sprouts to prevent them from getting top heavy and falling over, when the wind rocks them.

We are not going to be over tidy in the garden, not cutting back too much in order to allow the birds to continue to feed and for insects to hide.