I fell off the blogging wagon. At least trying to update at the end of the month. Row by row:
- Garlic bed. I added a layer of compost and a layer of leaf mulch to two of the four beds. The others are still occupied with a huge squash vine which came over the fence. I bought Music, Spanish Roja, and Russian Red garlic at the Common Ground Fair. Still too early to plant.
- Compost pile. Has been sifted with Sam’s solar powered trommel. So we’re starting to use the empty side again.
- Flower row. Has been a joy but kind of messy at this point. Sunflowers in various stages. A decorative allium blooming, but overrun by a squash. A few dahlia still looking pretty and interesting sacred tobacco plants doing well. Goldenrod is done. Poppy seeds are harvested. I took a jarful to the fair. Next year I’ll put in packets ahead of time at home.
- Fruit yard. Still a few strawberries. The grape vines have grown huge. The dye garden is still flowering here and there, cosmos and chrysanthemum. A few coreopsis. The rhubarb has disappeared, I hope it comes back next spring. Blackberries and raspberries were a disappointment this year. Not much fruit.
- Three sisters row. Still green beans here and there. The squash vines are drying and revealing mostly pumpkins it looks like. A few others in there. The corn was not productive. We have to remember to dig the potatoes that are in there! Probably another few weeks before we harvest the squash.
- Broccoli row. Still eating florets here and there. Next year – more deCicco, less AspaBroc. And no cauliflower. It was a waste of space and I pulled it up today.
- Pea trellis etc. The peas are about 8 inches tall, no flowers yet. Some broccoli rabe, very spindly. Spinach and lots of green onion from seed, as well as two year old green onion.
- Root veg 1. New carrots coming along. Beets still coming along. Parsnips in ground. I cut the two year old parsnip and didn’t collect any seed. I think most of the seed was eaten (?).
- Hardy greens row. Chard looks great. Radicchio is gone, we ate it, was delicious. Still some Salanova and escarole. And something called Turkish rocket, which I’m hesitant to eat. Also, cilantro seeds waiting to be collected.
- Root veg 2. Some nice carrots harvested a few days ago. Lots more. Maybe a few more fingerlings, mostly dug. Harvested the soybeans and drying them.
- Annual rye cover crop. I have three patches of it planted. New this year. It looks lush and green.
- Tomato row. We’ve been harvesting every few days and canning plain sauce. Today just started freezing some, ad the shelf is full and we’re out of quart jars. Next year: want more San Marzano, fewer cherry, and more tomatoes for making salsa – one item we eat a lot of and are still dependent on the grocery store.
- Zucchini, etc. Hopi dye sunflowers almost ready to harvest. Chinese cabbage overwhelmingly huge. The costata romanesca zucchini has finally taken off, and we have quite a few patty pan too.
- Corner trellis. Pretty good crop of cucumbers. I made five pints of pickles a few days ago. Kale looks good in there. The arugula also good. The seeds I planted later haven’t done much.
- More squash along the chicken run fence. Honeynut – new this year, should be interesting! And pumpkins. I have so many pumpkins.
- Community Garden. Harvesting onions. All the yellow, some of the red, a few white. Curing them in the woodshed. Harvested all the shallots. And all the fennel except one, hoping for some seed. Still have leeks and cabbages growing there.
- Hoophouse. Four raised beds of fall and winter greens coming along nicely. Some hot peppers hung and turning red. Some green peppers harvested. In general, not happy with peppers or eggplants. Lots of space and minimal production.
- Herbs. Plenty of parsley!!! Some thyme and oregano. Harvested the basil from the hoophouse, the basil in the herb garden did nothing. Some green shiso in a pot, going to seed. Will try red shiso again. Rosemary looks nice.
All in all, a good year. Only major pest was potato beetles. Have some changes to make next year, of course! Still busy with everything in the gardens, plus apple picking. More leisure to blog soon to come though.
Photos!
