As the evenings draw in and temperatures fall, now is the time to think of - manure!

To give next year's vegetables the best possible start in life, order a load of composted manure. Then, once you have cleared the vegetable bed and the soil temperature has fallen to winter levels (probably in November or so - depends on the weather of course) spread a layer of about 6 inches thickness all over the bed and just leave it over the winter. The manure will slowly settle in to the soil, so that, when it is workable again in spring, you can easily dig it in and then plant your vegetables.

It is important to wait until the temperatures have dropped though, otherwise the nutrients will leach away before they have a chance to get absorbed by the soil.

Apart from the nutrient value of organic matter like manure, it also acts as a mulch and holds down the weeds - at least for a while. But weeding the vegetable patch is a task that will never fully go away!

Our new office block has come into being, thanks to some spectacular teamwork by a Yorkshire haulage firm and a Kentish crane operator. As you can see from the picture above, the units fit right into the environment... well, they will do when the works surrounding them are finished. There will also be some interior changes and upgrading to be done, so it may be a little while before we can make full use of the extra space becoming available. Watch this space!

For August, we received a number of spectacular entries, all of which could deserve an honourable mention. Some of them related to a rather royal delivery operation, but for reasons of State Security, we can't publish those... Let's just say that when you need this many tipper deliveries for your rose beds, then you are gardening at a different order of magnitude.

Anyway, the very well deserved winner for August is Josef, with this spectacular - and perhaps somewhat surprising if you haven't been to the quarry - view of Westerham on a summer morning!