The summer is officially over, time to settle down and prepare for 2012. But, before we do that, let's allow ourselves a quick look back at the summer. Its been a good one despite the complaints about the weather and lack of sunshine.

The new potato bed has produced four sacks full this year; this was despite one variety, Swift, being a complete failure for me.

I'm not sure what caused such a disaster as the variety International Kidney was much better. The crop was lots of lovely clean tubers. I know this was the favourite as it is the only time my family has commented on the taste of a potato!

Lots of fruit has made jars of jam and chutney, so many jars that the shelf reserved for preserves is full.

The new globe artichokes plants that I raised and planted out this year have grown really well and produced fruit.

I am looking forward to them putting on some growth over the coming months and becoming beautiful architectural plants next year.

During the summer I went along to a bee keeping taster day organised by the Lincolnshire Bee Keeping Association (LBKA).

The afternoon was at the new home of bee keeping supplier E H Thorne in Rand near Lincoln. Over forty people came along from around the county, and members from local LBKA groups were well-represented.

We were given a real glimpse of bee keeping as we suited up in 'hoodies' with veils and gloves and went outside to take the lids off the hives that are kept by Thornes.

My first feeling was of claustrophobia; the veil was attached to the body of the suit and it created some restriction in movement. However, after a couple of deep breaths I was ready to go.

The hives are fascinating and at the same time, just a little scary. When I allowed myself to look up and across the line of hives and hooded people, the cloud of buzzing worker bees brought home how many of these amazing creatures were tolerating our interference with their busy lives.

At the height of the season the colony will be around 50,000 strong. As I recall there were five or six hives. No wonder so many were buzzing around us.

The frames inside the hives are covered in a mass of furry bodies each one going about its business. Concentrating my gaze on the frames and the activity in hand, which was to check the health of the colony and look for the queen, I soon forgot about feeling fearful or doubtful.

The essential role that these creatures have in the future of our planet and the food we produce is without question. I want to try to play my part in securing their future by becoming a fully-fledged paid up member of the bee keeping community. Over this winter I will be going along to the Louth group of bee keepers and looking forward to next spring when I can hopefully begin keeping my own bees.

An addition to the essential role that bees play as pollinators is the wonderful food they produce. Honey, is known for having  antiseptic properties. It has been used to treat all kinds of conditions over many hundreds of years.

One of the latest studies being carried out is in the pursuit of a treatment for MRSA. Scientists are looking into the variable effects that different plants bees visit have on the antiseptic nature of the honey produced. Not for the first time, scientists are turning back to nature to find the solution to a man-made problem.

Supporting bees and other pollinators brings me to our autumn project here at Damson cottage; creating some areas of flower meadow. Over the last 50 years or so, more than 90% of our meadows have disappeared.

This type of habitat is essential for birds, bees, bugs and butterflies, all are part of the cycle of nature that ensures we are able to grow crops, flowers and vegetables.

If you have a small area of garden that can be planted with a selection of wildflowers why not give it a go. A packet of wildflower mix seeds is all you need to fill the gap.

You will attract a wide range of pollinators into your garden and in return for the nectar they provide, your flowers and vegetables will bloom.

The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew have stepped in to be part of a program to help organisations reintroduce native plants in Britain.

From the native seed hub, part of the Millennium Seed Bank, they are helping to raise some of the UK native plants that are sometimes more difficult to germinate and propagate. Check out their work at www.kew.org and for more information about the ways you can help.

October is the month in the calendar when preparation for next year begins. This is the time to begin using the lovely compost you have made.

Revitalising the kitchen garden each year is the most important way to ensure good soil health and the ability to produce great crops next year and so a little effort now will pay off.

If you do not have enough of your own compost, then some well-rotted farm  manure will work really well too. I hope to get some cow manure from the dairy farmer nearby this year, as my compost will certainly not be enough to add a thick layer of mulch to every bed that will need it.

Work continues and each season we produce more, we have to work more too, but the results of the hard work after just two seasons are already becoming apparent. What is there not to love about this work?

Lorraine is an independent kitchen gardener providing one-to-one tuition and consultancy. See www.bellisperennis.co.uk for more information or call 07841 372118.