THE JOY OF SEPTEMBER!

Hello - here we are - it's September - my favourite month of the year! It is amazing how the weather seems to change from the August Bank Holiday Weekend - the nights are definitely pulling in now and there is a slight nip to the morning air.

But, that should not be a reason to shudder and think winter is on the way! September - at least in Suffolk - often has beautiful warm afternoons - and is the beginning of the autumn colour on many trees and shrubs. It also is the real kick-off for apples and pears - every week now a variety will be ready for picking - it is one of the real pleasures of my job!

At last - after weeks of drought - we did actually have some rain the other night - yes, only a quarter of an inch - but it is a start! And amazingly it did make a difference - (if you are reading this and are under floodwater - you have my sympathy - but it is like a desert here in Suffolk) - the grass actually has a tint of green - and the leaves are slightly plumper. That was until we caught the tail end of Hurricane Bill on Wednesday -a real Gale-Force 7 wind - which of course dried up some of that moisture - and we have had to put up with that wind all week - knocking things over - but hey - that is nursery life!
Time moves on - and a lot of members of staff are on holiday -but we have an excellent addition to our ranks for a few weeks - young Harry is with us on work experience. A smart lad - and very enthusiastic - he is spending time with all the members of nursery staff - to get a flavour of nursery work. During his day with me yesterday - we picked several more varieties of apples - and a few pears for the Apple Tasting Shed. The huge apple in the photo above left fascinated Harry - such a large apple hanging from such a small tree!! It is Charles Ross - a seldom seen old variety - used as a cooker or a sharp dessert apple.

That is in stark contrast to the photo opposite - this is one of our popular local apples - SAINT EDMUND'S PIPPIN - raised in Bury St Edmunds. Techically an early russet type - it is extremely sweet - if a little dry. As with so many of these early types - they will not keep - maybe a month in the fridge if you are lucky.

We also picked James Grieve - that classic Scottish variety - and a few GREENSLEEVES - plus RED DEVIL. The latter has been very popular at Crown Nursery recently - the red-stained flesh is very attractive. We also had a few of the early pears - namely BETH and WILLIAMS BON CHRETIEN. It is a superb year for pears it seems - with bumper crops on all varieties. These are all in the apple shed for tasting - along with DISCOVERY and TYDEMANS EARLY WORCESTER from last week. Do come along and try them!!

We are currently proof-reading our new fruit catalogue - which should be available in a few weeks time. From now on, I will be picking and storing the apples as they come into season - also picking for long-term storage - and for our annual APPLE DAY on OCTOBER 24th - hope to see you there!!

Until next time,
RICHARD