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Sally Morgan – Living on one acre or less

Healthy sustainable food production on small spaces plus books and gardens

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You can contact Sally via Empire Farm

Empire Farm, Throop Rd, Templecombe, Somerset, BA8OHR

sally (@) empirefarm.co.uk

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🏵️ Tithonia or Mexican sunflower - brilliant

🏵️ Tithonia or Mexican sunflower - brilliant pollinator plants. Mine are covered in bees and other insects at this time of year and provide nectar well into autumn.

They are imposing plants at this time of year, reaching around 1.5m or more, with masses of flowers.

They are annuals so a pack of seeds sown in spring will produce loads of plants.

Great for the back of borders and drawing beneficial insects into the veg plot - I plant them along the side of the plot with sunflowers and cosmos to create an 'insect corner'

#pollinatorgarden #ediblegarden #pollinators🐝 #tithonia #mexicansunflower #gardensforbees #wildlifegardening #healthyvegetablegarden

🌻🌻🌻A field of sunflowers. Couldn't resist

🌻🌻🌻A field of sunflowers. Couldn't resist a few photos

For those driving along the A30 nr #milborneport in Dorset, you can't miss the fabulous field of towering sunflowers growing in a field beside the road.

With blue skies and warm temps, it's just like being in the south of France and as you would expect buzzing with bees and other pollinators.

Brilliant idea @churchfarmdorset The field is open afternoons and you can PYO sunflowers.

#sunflower #sunflowerfield #dorset #bees #pollinatorgarden #pollinators🐝 #ilovegardening

Here are some of the tomatoes I have been growing

Here are some of the tomatoes I have been growing this year - labelled so I remember for next year! Most are blight resistant which has paid off this year.

Top of my list are Brandy boy (@marshalls.garden) and Crimson crush (@plantspennard) both of which taste good and have have fruited steadily, still going strong in #polytunnel. The old favourite Shirley has also been reliable. Another performing well was Nagina plum, new to me ( pennard plants), but tasty and not too pithy unlike some of the other plums.

Blight has hit outside but Resi from @delflandorganic unaffected and the small aromatic fruit is so tasty - another for next year. Survived while the other outdoor #blightresistant varieties succumbed, including crimson crush.

#tomato #growtomatoes #organicvegetablegarden #vegpatch #vegetablegarden #ediblegarden #gardeningtips #allotmentgarden #allotment #tomatoesofinstagram #healthyvegetablegarden #tomatotuesday

Potato harvest time and it's better than I expecte

Potato harvest time and it's better than I expected given the late frosts, high temps in June, the wet weather, the slugs, wireworm and then the blight ....

Coming out on top was my maincrop Cara - an attractive tuber that proved it's worth given the blight and wireworm. Orla suffered from slugs and wireworm.

The early Bambino did well as did Wilja and Allouette. Still got to clear the Sarpo Mira which withstood blight as expected.

Will be tidying up the beds and getting in cover crop to protect the soil over winter.

#potato #vegpatch #allotmentgarden #ediblegarden #organicvegetablegarden #gyo #groworganic #veggiegarden #allotment #growpotatoes

Finally the chillis and sweet peppers are coming t

Finally the chillis and sweet peppers are coming through - here a mix of wickedly hot, gentle and sweet.

The slightly distorted red ones are padrons - the variety with variable heat, some very hot, others mild so I have to get my OH to check for me as not a fan of the very hot .....

#gyo #chillis #sweetpeppers #chilliharvest #ediblegarden #vegetablegrowing #allotmentuk #vegetablegarden #polytunnel #organicvegetablegarden #growveg

Pineapple lily (Eucomis) flowering its heart out -

Pineapple lily (Eucomis) flowering its heart out - wonderful display of heavy flower spikes that are always busy with bees.

Unlike many other late summer bulbs these flowers last for weeks.

This pot of bulbs has been a reliable performer for years. I just add a bit of #peatfree compost each year and the occasional feed and move the pot to a frost free place over winter.

#bulbs #summerbulbs #containergardening #pollinatorgarden #wildlifegardening #flowersforbees

🦋🦋🦋 Still some butterflies around. We mus

🦋🦋🦋 Still some butterflies around. We must have had a hatch of small tortoiseshells as plenty around at the moment, here on the buddleia but also on Inula and Heleniums. A good reason to leave a patch of nettles - the food plant - for caterpillars.

🦋 Despite a poor start and the wet weather, we seem to have had a good butterfly year.

🦋 Have you seen many this year in your gardens?

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#butterflies
#gardenbutterfly #butterfliesofinstagram #gardenwildlife #organicvegetablegarden #organicgarden #rewildyourgarden #ecologicalgardening #ecogardener

Three stages of development on this truss of brand

Three stages of development on this truss of brandyboy tomatoes. #tomatotuesday⁠

This plant was one of the last 🍅 to be planted out in the #polytunnel and is still busy producing new fruits and, I suspect, enjoying the sunny weather.

This variety of beefsteak tomato has performed really well for me, lots of heavy trusses and 🤞 no sign of the dreaded #tomatoblight - the advantage of having opted for a #blightresistant variety⁠
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Here its surrounded by some purple orache left for seed saving. ⁠
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#growyourownfood #mygardentoday #organicgarden #polyculturegardens #permaculturelife #allotment #vegpatch #veggiegarden #allotmentlife #eatwhatyougrow #growyourownfood #goodlife #tomate #tomatolover #tomatoesofinstagram #allotmentlife #sustainablegarden #vegetablegarden #ediblegarden

The squash harvest continues. Butternuts and tromb

The squash harvest continues. Butternuts and tromboncino coming through along with more courgettes.

The Indian summer will help the last fruits develop!
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#harvest #squash #butternutsquash #trombocino #courgettes #ediblegarden #allotmentgarden #allotment #ilovemygarden #vegetablegrowing #veggiegarden #organicvegetablegarden

Finally - its publication day for The Healthy Vege

Finally - its publication day for The Healthy Vegetable Garden!!! Huge thanks to all at @chelseagreenbooks in the UK and US for all their amazing work - really proud to be one of their authors.⁠
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Thanks too to the people who received preview copies and have said some lovely things about it including @dave.goulsen, @alexmitchelleg @damsonsandlavender @scatterseed_project @roughdraftfarmstead @ogdenellen and others, along with @nikijabbour for allowing me to natter on about my approach to veg growing on her radio show ⁠
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If you want to use a natural approach when growing veg and are interested in soil, biodiversity and creating your own ecosystem in your growing space - I think you will finding it useful!⁠
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Looking forward to the launch and talk tonight at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Dorset @thegardensgroup⁠
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And being an #organic gardener and editor of Organic Farming mag, I cant finish this post without mentioning its #organicseptember when the @soilassociation and others are raising awareness of the incredible benefits organic farming can bring for our climate, for wildlife and for our health too. And organic gardeners are just as important! ⁠
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You can buy the book through book shops or direct from me with some free seeds!!! See the link in my bio

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Compost – peatfree, aminopyralid and digestate
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