Cutting back the willow in the forest fruit garden today, allowing the willows archways space to develop more.

The cut willow is shredded and spread around the fruit bushes as an autumn mulch.

This will compost down over the winter months and provide food for the soil which in turn will feed the bushes…cycle of life completed with a bountiful harvest nest summer.

I have cleared some of the potager beds today to make room for an autumn sowing of garlic and onion sets.

It makes good sense to plant out the garlic bulbs before the soil cools down…same for onion sets.

This is the sure way to grow good-size onions to harvest next year!

This is my favourite time of year to work outdoors.

It’s not too hot nor too cold…and the autumn scents are so evocative.

Meanwhile, indoors, Jack and Flo have spent the morning fighting over who gets the biggest dog basket…Flo has lost this time, so has decided to make Jack as uncomfortable as possible by sitting on his back!

Isn’t it amazing how little dogs can be so bossy?

The paths around the garden are so overgrown that some are no longer navigable.

The word “jungle,” springs to mind!

However, the sheer volume of prunings is adding enormous bulk to the compost heap, which is now the biggest ever!

I have grown some mighty pumpkins in the potager beds this year that have had only compost in them.

I think that the sheer biodiversity of the plants here at Bealtaine is the basis of some great compost!

Clearing the paths and cutting back is a lovely way to spend quiet time on the land…being outdoors on a fine autumn day is hard to beat!