Sweet pea pods - look how they twist round on themselves once split! I'm trying to be creative about how to use the empty pods; any thoughts?
After my recent thoughts on collecting seed from various plants, a quick walk around reveals how bountiful the harvest could be: sweet pea pods, poppy heads, sunflower seeds, aliums, hollyhocks, wallflowers and runner beans - with courgettes, cucumber, tomatoes, pumpkin and peppers waiting in the wings.
I'm absolutely stunned because free seeds is something I'd never really thought about until now. But the success of our little patch is inspiring very exciting thoughts of what's possible for next year - and not just in the veg patch but throughout all the gardens here.
Gardens and allotments are still (just) really beautiful and it's worthwhile going to take some photos while they're still flowering, fruiting, or otherwise good to eat. Or why not, on a sunny afternoon (or a rainy one… it happens), give the kids some paper and crayons and get them to draw the plant that they've collected seeds from. And treat yourself to a big mug of tea, and five minutes peace.
Wallflower seed pods, splitting on the plant. Take a bag to collect these - the tiny seeds will get lost in your pockets!