The Summer Garden Continues into October
Hi readers,
The summer garden continues. We are very fortunate to reliably have an Indian summer in the fall every year. And this year has been no exception. All of the summer crops, with the exception of the 90 day sweet corn, are actively producing. We are finishing the last batch of 90 day sweet corn. It will be gone within a week. Note that this plot was planted in the first week of July. We have had fresh sweet corn continuously since the third week of June when 60 day corn patch 1 came in. The freezer is also full of corn still on the cob and in the husks. It will provide a continuous supply of corn until next June when the 2008 crop begins. I have a nice looking small plot of August 60 day corn. It is short - 4 to 5 ft. in height - and won't be ready until Thanksgiving if it produces at all. The August corn is extremely dependent on favorable weather. So far so good but one cold snap or several weeks of damp cloudy weather can put an end to it.
All the other crops are in heavy production including winter squash which has provided beautiful ground cover in most of the old corn patches. Pole beans from the later plots are still in heavy production. The eggplants are loaded with fruit as are the peppers. Spring broccoli still puts out silver dollar sized sprouts. And the tomatoes are having another growth spurt which demands weekly pruning. The challenge for tomatoes this time of year is to get them to ripen. The fruit wants to stay green. So heavy pruning of the plants lets the sun into the fruit which encourages it to ripen. Usually, and this year is no exception, there are plenty of green tomatoes on the plants but few ripe ones.
We are now enjoying carrots from corn patch 2. I still have loads of potatoes in the ground.
So... with all of this production, how does one become motivated to put in that fall garden? Well experience tells me no matter how good the summer garden looks in October, it will be mostly over in another six to seven weeks. I have a dozen cauliflower which will be transplanted from the greenhouse into the garden this next weekend. These were planted from seed starting in late August. Note that I usually set a few cauliflower plants into the garden in the first weekend of October. But my early six pack didn't germinate well and I got only one good plant out of it. I start a few cauliflower seeds on a biweekly basis from late August through April. Fortunately, the later batches have fared much better and the continuous parade of cauliflower transplanting will soon begin.
The first row of Daikon radishes are just about ready. These were planted directly in the ground in early September. I set out one new hill of chard a few weeks ago - started in the greenhouse in September. I have Joi Choi and Pac Choi coming up in both six packs and directly in the garden. Wild lettuces and Mustard are sprouting all over the garden. I will thin and keep a few plants for long term production. Note that the seed for these came from a few plants that I let bolt and produce seed last spring.
And finally, the winter snap and sugar peas are up in the garden. I'm just now planting the shelling peas. I have some bunching onions just starting to grow from direct planting in the garden. These will compliment the leek after the first of the year.
Aside from continuous kohlrabi and cauliflower plantings, the next step in the greenhouse is to start a flat of onions for use next spring.
I have just started planting a few fava beans. I plant these seeds 2 inches deep to keep the squirrels from digging them out. They often break off the plant trying to get to the seed. But if they fail to get to the seed, the plant will come back and fortunately the squirrels know not to keep trying. If one broadcasts seed or plants it shallow, the squirrels will soon follow taking all the seeds.
Here are a few pictures which attempt to capture what the fall garden looks like:
This is my leek crop nestled between peppers and beans. We will start using the leeks in another month after the spring onions are done. We use them as an onion substitute in the winter months.
Hiding in the shade at the bottom of the above picture is a row of snow peas about an inch tall. These were planted three weeks ago and have been up just over a week. Shelling beans are in the background. Notice a few old cornstalks with beans still growing on them persist. Peas start producing around the first of the year just after the winter frosts shut down the beans.
Here are some Dusky eggplant with old cornstalks in the background. There are a few peppers mixed in as well.
The small plot of 60 day corn is almost hidden between the broccoli and brussel sprouts in the foreground, and the last plot of 90 day corn in the background. It has just tasseled and is four to five ft. tall. If the weather stays nice, we should get a small ear of super sweet yellow corn from each plant around Thanksgiving time. Best tasting corn of the season when it works.
Here are two KW beans ready to be picked on a vine next to an old corn stalk.
And finally, I present the carrot patch. Notice the mildew in it. Mildew often knocks down the growth this time of year but the carrots come back and continue to grow slowly throughout the winter. We have just started harvesting carrots. They will remain edible in the ground until April when they either succumb to rot and become terribly tough.
That's it for this week. I will keep you posted as to how the late corn does.
danh
The summer garden continues. We are very fortunate to reliably have an Indian summer in the fall every year. And this year has been no exception. All of the summer crops, with the exception of the 90 day sweet corn, are actively producing. We are finishing the last batch of 90 day sweet corn. It will be gone within a week. Note that this plot was planted in the first week of July. We have had fresh sweet corn continuously since the third week of June when 60 day corn patch 1 came in. The freezer is also full of corn still on the cob and in the husks. It will provide a continuous supply of corn until next June when the 2008 crop begins. I have a nice looking small plot of August 60 day corn. It is short - 4 to 5 ft. in height - and won't be ready until Thanksgiving if it produces at all. The August corn is extremely dependent on favorable weather. So far so good but one cold snap or several weeks of damp cloudy weather can put an end to it.
All the other crops are in heavy production including winter squash which has provided beautiful ground cover in most of the old corn patches. Pole beans from the later plots are still in heavy production. The eggplants are loaded with fruit as are the peppers. Spring broccoli still puts out silver dollar sized sprouts. And the tomatoes are having another growth spurt which demands weekly pruning. The challenge for tomatoes this time of year is to get them to ripen. The fruit wants to stay green. So heavy pruning of the plants lets the sun into the fruit which encourages it to ripen. Usually, and this year is no exception, there are plenty of green tomatoes on the plants but few ripe ones.
We are now enjoying carrots from corn patch 2. I still have loads of potatoes in the ground.
So... with all of this production, how does one become motivated to put in that fall garden? Well experience tells me no matter how good the summer garden looks in October, it will be mostly over in another six to seven weeks. I have a dozen cauliflower which will be transplanted from the greenhouse into the garden this next weekend. These were planted from seed starting in late August. Note that I usually set a few cauliflower plants into the garden in the first weekend of October. But my early six pack didn't germinate well and I got only one good plant out of it. I start a few cauliflower seeds on a biweekly basis from late August through April. Fortunately, the later batches have fared much better and the continuous parade of cauliflower transplanting will soon begin.
The first row of Daikon radishes are just about ready. These were planted directly in the ground in early September. I set out one new hill of chard a few weeks ago - started in the greenhouse in September. I have Joi Choi and Pac Choi coming up in both six packs and directly in the garden. Wild lettuces and Mustard are sprouting all over the garden. I will thin and keep a few plants for long term production. Note that the seed for these came from a few plants that I let bolt and produce seed last spring.
And finally, the winter snap and sugar peas are up in the garden. I'm just now planting the shelling peas. I have some bunching onions just starting to grow from direct planting in the garden. These will compliment the leek after the first of the year.
Aside from continuous kohlrabi and cauliflower plantings, the next step in the greenhouse is to start a flat of onions for use next spring.
I have just started planting a few fava beans. I plant these seeds 2 inches deep to keep the squirrels from digging them out. They often break off the plant trying to get to the seed. But if they fail to get to the seed, the plant will come back and fortunately the squirrels know not to keep trying. If one broadcasts seed or plants it shallow, the squirrels will soon follow taking all the seeds.
Here are a few pictures which attempt to capture what the fall garden looks like:
This is my leek crop nestled between peppers and beans. We will start using the leeks in another month after the spring onions are done. We use them as an onion substitute in the winter months.
Hiding in the shade at the bottom of the above picture is a row of snow peas about an inch tall. These were planted three weeks ago and have been up just over a week. Shelling beans are in the background. Notice a few old cornstalks with beans still growing on them persist. Peas start producing around the first of the year just after the winter frosts shut down the beans.
Here are some Dusky eggplant with old cornstalks in the background. There are a few peppers mixed in as well.
The small plot of 60 day corn is almost hidden between the broccoli and brussel sprouts in the foreground, and the last plot of 90 day corn in the background. It has just tasseled and is four to five ft. tall. If the weather stays nice, we should get a small ear of super sweet yellow corn from each plant around Thanksgiving time. Best tasting corn of the season when it works.
Here are two KW beans ready to be picked on a vine next to an old corn stalk.
And finally, I present the carrot patch. Notice the mildew in it. Mildew often knocks down the growth this time of year but the carrots come back and continue to grow slowly throughout the winter. We have just started harvesting carrots. They will remain edible in the ground until April when they either succumb to rot and become terribly tough.
That's it for this week. I will keep you posted as to how the late corn does.
danh
posted by danh at
4:27 PM
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