It was a very quick trip this morning to start the Great Chilli Rescue – sneaking pots of plants into the flat and onto the landing. I brought home 3 chillies (lemon drop & 2 of the F2 chenzos – apologies for the wobbly photo!) and an Andrex bag full of tomatoes (yikes!). I don’t know why toilet paper needs such a strong plastic bag, but I am grateful it does! One of the 2 remaining 100s&1000s looks like it could have blight, so I will chop off the branches for burning later on. I shifted the aubergine and the cape gooseberry into the blight-free cultivcave as a precaution and just hope that that means I’ve not just transported blight spores into it with the plants!

I need to get as many of the rest as I can tomorrow – I’m off to NY for the weekend on Thursday and don’t want to come back to dead plants. That said, 3 of the 4 lemon drops look really unhappy and have shed most of their leaves. It might be pointless bringing them in.

Just had a call from Brogdale to say that I can’t have my Ashmead’s Kernel espalier because all the trees have failed this year. I don’t really want anything else – I’ve only got room for one more espalier and my heart is set on Ashmeads Kernel after tasting them last year.

I’m freezing a box of elderberries till I can figure out what to do with them. Mum’s got a bag of quinces for me, so it’s jelly-making for me when I’m back from NY! Need to buy some more jars…

Edit: made sloe gin 16 Oct. & stashed in drinks cupboard to keep it in the dark. 2oz sugar, 9 oz sloes, 350ml Gordon’s, 3 drops almond essence in each jar. Should be ready to test around about Easter 2014. 

Extra edit May 2014 – sloe gin a bit too sweet. 1oz sugar is enough per 350mls gin