Garden Journal #12

Late October (and a mid-November edit)

So October 28th seems late for a garden, right? Especially considering I didn't plant winter squash or pumpkins or brussel sprouts or cabbage or beets. It really should be over with, right? Nope.

As late as just September 3rd the experimental sweet potatoes were shorn off by rabbits. And all the guides say sweet potatoes need a long season, like 120 days at least. I think they went in July 1st and got eaten off twice so they got far less than 120 days of foliage. Well guess what? Booyah! I am totally doing these next year, but the proper way...earlier and way more of them.

That's right...ever-bearing strawberries put on just a handful late in the season.

But the biggest surprise came 19 days later...nearly Thanksgiving folks. What was it?

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Wait for it...

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A Thanksgiving surprise! When I went to mix in some primo compost (you'll hear about that in a minute) I found the lost little guy.

Garden Journal #11

Mid-October Harvest

These three pictures of radishes do my heart well. The fall radishes were a whim...I realized there was still plenty of heat and there was leftover seed. They went into the ground mid-August (or was it late August?). Anyways, they performed very well. Of course they were bitter and nasty and spicy, but a beautiful nonetheless. I ate the greens though and those were nice and spicy.

One last carrot and one last eggplant.

Remember that huge pepper-fest? One more round had to come off with the first frost.

Garden Journal #10

Edition Peppers! Some known as chilis, chiles, capsicums. Spicy peppers. Red peppers. Everyone seems to call them something different.

Our peppers produced all summer and into the fall. We basically planted one box with a huge assortment and we got a little of everything. Look at the spread we picked last week and then a few examples of each kind:

Anaheim: we only had one plant and it barely produced.

Mystery peppers: we have no idea what they are but they have NO SPICE!

Jalapeños: they just keep coming. They start green and turn red on the bush.

Cayenne: we think....or Mexican chilis....not sure....either way, plenty of spice for dried seasoning, whole or crushed.

Bell: did not produce very well, before they got big they turned dark and had thin flesh.

Bananas: surprising good producers but we had little use for them.

Garden Journal #9

Compost. Homemade. My heaven.

This batch is the first one that truly is what compost is supposed to be. It was a long slow batch sure to be full of seeds, but those can be turned into the soil easily.

That cage was over the strawberries to keep the rabbits out. It worked fine for a screen.

A good barrow full...isn't it beautiful?

The dill and fennel came out of here earlier. Now for the treatment and garlic to be planted later in the fall.

See how much darker and nicer the compost looks?

Mixed well with the existing soil and ready for a late fall planting of garlic.