The first chills of Autumn are in the air and the tender crops are nearing the end of their growth for this year. The Maskotka tomatoes mentioned in the summer post as a super-early ripening type are still going strong, so have proved to be one of the first AND last.

Another tender crop now winding down is the Mini-Rocoto chilli, which has yielded very well. The thick fleshed orange pods are actually not so mini, the largest approach the size of golf balls or walnuts.

We have seen spectacular growth by some trees this year. Acorns sown last winter have reached 1.8m and a small avocado plant brought into the tunnel for the summer has hit the roof. A generous sized Air-Pot container really accelerates development and we will experiment further next year with more small trees, such as more avocado, fig, and apple to see how quickly we can bring them on.

Some longer established trees are also of interest are: a Pink Lady apple tree grown from a pip, which has produced beautiful fruit; and a date palm which was recently re-potted, showing a good view of the air-pruning roots. These vigorous downward pointing water seeking roots would have become severely pot bound in a conventional pot, as they circled seeking a way out.

Herbs have been giving a good return especially coriander which performed well in an Air-Pot tray staying lush for weeks before going to seed.

Botanically also a herbaceous plant, bananas are getting off to a strong start in Air-Pot containers. One veteran now planted in the ground is big as a house.