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Fall is here
23 Sep 2021 09:43 amThe garden is almost done for the season. Temperatures have dropped to 45 -55 degrees. All the tropical plants have been brought inside. Tidying up will happen slowly. Since we chop and drop, there is no risk to the butterfly population. Mulching will follow. The garden soil needs to be fed. The harvest to date is around 245 pounds of produce. With monster tomatoes still in progress, butternuts, celery, chard and pumpkins, I expect the harvest to hit 300 pounds. A look at today's YouTube Video https://youtu.be/P4-RQ8s0Ffs
The Macaroni Grill came up with a fall side dish one year of roasted squash, Fig jam and wild rice. I don't know if our figs will have time to ripen this year. They formed late. I can taste the meal with roast chicken just by looking at these plants. The squash and pumpkins will have to harden off before being stored for winter. If there is no slug or rolipolly damage, they can keep well into January. If there's damage, they'll get cooked and frozen.
Other things to harvest around the yard:
Sweet Potatoes
Chard
Celery
Beans
Rosemary and other Herbs
Things I've learned this year are that I need to stagger more plantings. I have the timing down. Just need to scale it up a bit. Three late cucumbers are not enough to pickle for winter. If I had planted several more plants, I would have had enough. Likewise with late summer beans, I could have frozen some. These do not have the heat damage that the ones I picked in summer do. Carrots were a crop failure. No idea why, mice? voles? I am hoping the sweet potatoes are a big success. I planted them once the peas were done. It seems like a good succession crop since peas go in early and sweet potatoes shouldn't go in until after June 1st.
The garden is really missing the coffee grounds. In a rural setting, there would be added manure, horse, rabbit, or chicken. I live in an urban jungle so I think coffee grounds will have to do. After my show season is over, I plan to go back to Starbucks. It's been eighteen months since the garden soil was fed. I can hear it crying. It's hungry. A well fed soil holds more moisture, supports mycelia and other lifeforms needed for plant health, and just plan smells and feels nice. It makes gardening a joy!
Hoping for better and more abundant nutrition from nature next year!
The Macaroni Grill came up with a fall side dish one year of roasted squash, Fig jam and wild rice. I don't know if our figs will have time to ripen this year. They formed late. I can taste the meal with roast chicken just by looking at these plants. The squash and pumpkins will have to harden off before being stored for winter. If there is no slug or rolipolly damage, they can keep well into January. If there's damage, they'll get cooked and frozen.
Other things to harvest around the yard:
Sweet Potatoes
Chard
Celery
Beans
Rosemary and other Herbs
Things I've learned this year are that I need to stagger more plantings. I have the timing down. Just need to scale it up a bit. Three late cucumbers are not enough to pickle for winter. If I had planted several more plants, I would have had enough. Likewise with late summer beans, I could have frozen some. These do not have the heat damage that the ones I picked in summer do. Carrots were a crop failure. No idea why, mice? voles? I am hoping the sweet potatoes are a big success. I planted them once the peas were done. It seems like a good succession crop since peas go in early and sweet potatoes shouldn't go in until after June 1st.
The garden is really missing the coffee grounds. In a rural setting, there would be added manure, horse, rabbit, or chicken. I live in an urban jungle so I think coffee grounds will have to do. After my show season is over, I plan to go back to Starbucks. It's been eighteen months since the garden soil was fed. I can hear it crying. It's hungry. A well fed soil holds more moisture, supports mycelia and other lifeforms needed for plant health, and just plan smells and feels nice. It makes gardening a joy!
Hoping for better and more abundant nutrition from nature next year!
