The leaves on the mulberry tree have turned this beautiful golden colour. The tree is at the front of the orchard, visible from the kitchen window and every spring I look out at it’s bare branches (it’s the last to come into leaf) and wonder if it has died. Every so often, Rob threatens to chop it down as it rarely bears fruit, but every autumn, I’m glad I resisted. 
In the garden this month, there are still some edible treats to be found. While the flowers have largely gone over, the mild weather has spared some colourful chard and beetroot and leaf beet. I’m making the most of these before a frost finishes them off.
The last of the romanescu cauliflower was a beautiful sight to behold and a few tiny courgettes were found lurking among the browning leaves in the squash patch.
Kale and leaks are making a daily appearance in kitchen and we are looking forward to Brussels sprouts and Purple sprouting broccoli.
We’ve had some windy days and nights over the past few weeks. We haven’t been as badly hit as the south of Britain, but we did lose an apple tree in the orchard. I am particularly sad about this as growing amongst the apples is a large ball of mistletoe. I spotted this when we moved here seven years ago when it was a tiny sprig and I’ve watched it grow each year.
The chickens are looking rather scraggy with their annual moult. The cockerel has lost his tail and his ladies are a raggle-taggle bunch. 
We said goodbye to the pigs this week (and hello to a freezer full of sausages, joints and chops!) They did a wonderful job of clearing the space for my new forest garden, a project I’m looking forward to getting stuck into over the coming months.
There is still plenty to get done in the garden and the wet and windy weather has delayed some jobs. During November, I hope to get my garlic planted and continue with the clearing and tidying, putting the garden to bed for the winter.
This post is my contribution to the monthly Garden Share Collective, where gardeners from all around the world offer a peak into their gardens.
