It’s time to start buying any winter veg you want to be planting this autumn (Unless you’ve been organised and actually bought seeds and got them ready to plant out now!)

Winter Vegetable plants bargain from Dobies – 50 plants for only £9.95
Only 1 week left!
Last order date 21st August
50 Plug Plants (10 of each variety): Sprouting Broccoli Late White – Tender
white shoots from mid-March; Sprouting Broccoli Claret – Enjoy the large purple
shoots from early April; Cabbage Excel – Crisp, tasty hearts in the early spring
but enjoy as tender greens in autumn; Cabbage Spring Hero – From early May start
to pick the solid heads of Spring Hero; Cauliflower Mayfair – Firm white curds,
crop from April.

I’ve also been eating lots of freshly picked veg including yellow tomatoes from a neighbouring plotholder’s greenhouse and some delicious runner beans. And a courgette!
I’ve sliced the courgette (A diamante round one) into fairly thin slices and gven them a thin lick of oil, and put them on the grilling machine grill we have. Then turned until they’re done and put a tiny drop of pesto and sandwiched the slices up and then gave it another minute. They looked amazing and tasted fantastic! I’ve eaten runner beans, lightly cooked, and thrown into a dish with some pesto and tomatoes and that was really nice too!
I’ve now got to freeze some runner beans – which you do apparently by preparing as normal, blanching in boiiling water for 2 mins and then cooling as quickly as you can. Use ice packs in a bowl of cold water after you’ve dashed them under the cold tap. Then dry and pack into portions. The portion size is important as if you don’t dry them completely, or freeze separately you’re likely to get blocks that you can’t split up and will have to cook too many at once. Small portions best and put inside bags and then boxes to help eliminate freezer burn.
Some people swear by just cutting and freezing them, so I might try both methods and compare!
I’ve also been told of a chutney for runner beans (tomatoes, onions, runner beans, and normal chutney recipe adapted and it’s delic!)

New items at John Lewis

John Lewis 2 Burner JL2B2 Barbecue Cover £29.00
Velcro-fastening waterproof cover for the John Lewis 2 burner gas barbecue.

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Reduced products at John Lewis

John Lewis Eden Rotating Day Bed was £785.00 now £499.00
Soak up the rays, enjoy a cool drink, or read at your leisure – this day bed was designed for rest and relaxation in the sun! Ideally suited to be left outside – even in extreme weather conditions, it's made from hand-woven synthetic wicker, on an aluminium powder-coated frame, and is also resistant to salt water and chlorine, making it ideal for poolside lounging. Move it around on the built-in castors. The sponge-clean cushion is not suited to being left outdoors, and must be removed or covered for protection or storage out of season. Please note: The dimensions shown in our Outdoor Living 2009 catalogue are incorrect. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

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Price reduction at Focus DIY

Great Value Camping Set was £19.99 now £14.99
Save £15!Thinking of going camping or to a music festival this summer? Our superb-value tent kit has everything you need!At this price it can even act as a disposable kit if bringing it home again is too much trouble.Kit includes:1 x 2 man tent2 x camping mat2 x sleeping bag and a large bag to carry the whole kit in allowing for easy portability.Height:100cm Width:120cm Depth:200cm

Reduced products at Tooled Up

Draper Garden Tidy Bag And Potting Tray Set was £4.95 now £3.95
Useful set for work around the garden. Comprises a 100L capacity fold up tidy bag with handles and flexible support rods in base for stability. Size 580 x 580 x 460mm. The potting tray size 810 x 810mm has support sides to keep in soil and popper …

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Price reduction on this item at Gardening Direct

Mystery Plants was £9.99 now £2.99
Excellent value for money and really exciting! This 'lucky dip' is a great way of trying out new plants – who knows, you might get a pleasant surprise from something you would never have otherwise tried! You will receive your mystery plugs, ready for growing on for a short while or planting straight outside. Our mystery plants are selected from our selection of best sellers as well as new and unusual varieties – go on, dig deep!

Price cut on this product at Garden Buildings Direct

Wooden Shed Billyoh Corner 7′ x 7′ was £289.95 now £285.95
This Garden Shed The Garden Shed Corner Shed 7′ x 7′ uses the more sturdy tongue and groove cladding throughout of this garden shed , this gives the garden corner shed a more finished look, and makes it sturdier, meaning storage of those items is no longer a problem. Thick 11mm Tongue and Groove board is used for both the floor and roof construction on this garden corner shed . Garden Corner Shed .

Price reduction on this item at Crocus

rose (shrub) was £8.99 now £4.49
Position: full sunSoil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soilRate of growth: fast-growingFlowering period: July to SeptemberFlower colour: whiteOther features: excellent cut-flowersHardiness: fully hardyMasses of fragrant, single, yellow-centred, white flowers from July to September, followed by large, red or orange-red rose-hips. This vigorous, white species rose makes a great, informal, flowering hedge for an open, sunny site. An excellent choice for the wildlife garden, the leathery, dark-green leaves turn butter-gold in autumn.To find out more about how to plant a hedge, click hereGarden care: Before planting shorten thick roots to 25cm (10in) and reduce top-growth to an outward-facing bud 8-15cm (3-6in) above ground-level. Plant during a frost-free spell, incorporating well-rotted organic matter and a balanced fertiliser into the planting hole. Ensure that the 'bud union' (the bulge at the base of the shoots) is 2.5cm (1in) below the soil.All our roses are field grown. In October/November they are dug up and potted. However, they will not produce any new roots until spring, so don't be surprised if the compost falls away from the roots when winter planting. Some suppliers send out 'bare root' plants unpotted, but we don't as it is easier to manage them on the nursery in pots.

New lines at Crocus

rose (shrub) £9.99
Position: full sunSoil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soilRate of growth: averageFlowering period: July to SeptemberFlower colour: mauveHardiness: fully hardyBeautiful, large mauve flowers that are grouped in threes and fives on the stem. Named after a perfume by Christian Dior, this rose has a rich perfume that has hints of bergamot and geranium. A lovely rose for a sunny spot where it looks fabulous planted en masse.Garden care: Before planting shorten thick roots to 25cm (10in) and reduce top-growth to an outward-facing bud 8-15cm (3-6in) above ground-level. Plant during a frost-free spell, incorporating well-rotted organic matter and a balanced fertiliser into the planting hole. Ensure that the 'bud union' (the bulge at the base of the shoots) is 2.5cm (1in) below the soil.All our roses are field grown. In October/November they are dug up and potted. However, they will not produce any new roots until spring, so don't be surprised if the compost falls away from the roots when winter planting. Some suppliers send out 'bare root' plants unpotted, but we don't as it is easier to manage them on the nursery in pots.

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It’s time to get pruning on my allotment. The summer raspberry canes are all dying now and look pretty messy so I’ll be clipping them out carefully.
You should cut back the canes that have fruited to ground level after harvesting, to make way for the young canes that will fruit next year.
Select the strongest young canes, removing the those that don’t make the grade. You should aim to have 3 or 4 inches between them and have about eight canes a plant.

Suckers should be removed from the path area else you’ll be unable to get down the rows to pick them. You can try cutting them out and moving them if you want to start raspberries somewhere else.

Autumn raspberries which fruit on current-season canes can be cut back completely after harvest.

So basically when it fruits and has finished fruiting (And you’ve picked it all) you should cut down that stem.

What do you do with the stems? Well a neighbour on the plots has said they don’t compost the old canes, but another says compost everything as long as you have a big enough heap!