Posted on 11/08/2013 12:23:38 PM PST by greeneyes
The pepper plants left in the garden are still ok, since I covered them at the last frost. I just harvested 5 more lemons yesterday. Then I took the plant outside and treated it with pyola to get rid of aphids, and brought back indoors.
It is blooming and the flowers smell so good, it is very cheery. I won't let any fruit set for a while to give it a rest, and make sure that the aphids are gone.
I have continued to forage for ripe persimmons and hickory nuts. There is nothing like a ripe persimmon straight off the tree. You can pick them early, and let them ripen, but the texture is just not the same.
I have been reading The Survival Garden section on saving seeds. It advises to save seeds from a minimum of 5 plants as a rule of thumb to maintain genetic diversity. Some plants such as corn require more than five.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Pinging the List.
In the 40’s today here in west Michigan. Nothing left in the garden but a tomatillo plant loaded but they are so small they will never mature. I do have a nice bowl of Sabre Ukranian tomatoes. They mature late and handle cold weather well and the green ones I picked are ripening up one by one. Have never had garden tomatoes so late in the year before. Will definitely grow them next year. I did go through my pictures recently and will post them, I really will, hopefully next week. Covered up my young paw paw trees with cones for the winter. Always sad when the garden is done. I rooted a sprig of basil and just got it in some dirt in a pot yesterday, it had a lot of roots develop quickly.
Looking forward to seeing your pictures. Do you have any of the Paw Paw Tree?
My basil is coming out of the severe cutback I gave it this fall. Little green buds all over the stem. I really thought I had killed it.
I am thinking that I might try one of the tomato plants that are cold resistant next year too.
I’m hoping to find time this weekend to do a bit of cleanup in my garden so I can get the garlic planted. Kale, collards, broccoli and the various root crops are loving the rain and cool weather we’ve been having lately. Tomatoes and peppers not so much. I’m pretty sure they’re all dead. lol
I did not take any pictures of the trees this year, they are still small. Sent you a Freepmal.
LOL. Color me astonished that I still have some peppers clinging to life. I did cover them up when we got the hard freeze.
I haven’t checked the garlic this week. Mostly just doing clean up and foraging. Eating two or three persimmons daily.
I've never heard of these tomatoes but since I didn't know zip until several months ago, that wouldn't be unusual.
You say they mature late and handle cold weather well. Since I want to have tomatoes ripening as many months as possible and the growing season here goes until usually the end of November (I'm guessing based on years of living here), I would think these Sabre tomato would be an excellent one for a fall garden. I'll look them up to see what they look like and/or a description from you would be appreciated.
Marcella
http://www.amishlandseeds.com/russian_tomatoes.htm
scroll way down on the page to find the Sabre. I tried several other varieties but this is the one that did the best for me.
My tomatoes were under plastic for about two weeks - I picked the last of them last weekend before the temperature dropped into the twenties - one gorgeous Yellow Brandywine and one Black from Tula for dinner tonight and then we’re done.
There are some itty bitty kales under row cover that probably won’t grow until spring if they survive - should have started them earlier.
Even the farmers from south Jersey were unloading all their tomatoes and other stuff at the farmer’s market before the freeze kill all but the winter crops.
Who knows a good brussels sprout recipe? I got a stalk for a dollar, figured it was worth a try - but really want to avoid that sulfurous cooked cabbage smell.
I just finished raking many, many leaves. I'd like to spread the leaves on my garden as a mulch. Every article that I've read so far says to put raked leaves on a compost pile.
Unfortunately, I don't have room for a compost pile. So it's either spread the leaves on my fenced garden, or set them out for the trash.
I was going to shred the leaves, dump them on the garden, then turn the soil. But I really have no idea if that's a good thing to do. What's your opinion on this?
I truly hate it when the home grown tomatoes are done. Can’t stand the supermarket mush. I have two small tomato plants growing under the grow lights, probably won’t do much this winter though. Maybe they will give me a head start on spring planting.
I don’t know a thing about brussel sprouts, except every time I tried to eat one, no matter the recipe, I don’t like them.LOL
We got a Guerney’s too. It is early. Usually if we get anything it is an end of season sale this time of year. Last year it was really late when we got new catalogs. Guess they are getting a jump on the competition?
That's pretty much what I do with some of the leaves I'll get this fall, except when I put them on the garden, I let them overwinter on top and then turn them under in spring.
I've never had a problem doing that.
I do shred most of mine and dump them in the compost pile.
/johnny
Here in North Texas still have a serrano and banana pepper plant plus some basil hanging on. Went down to low 40’s this week. Didnt take any chances and covered them up overnight.
Some of the garlic bulbs planted 2 weeks ago have sprouted up. Wasn’t expecting that—will they over-winter for spring if I cut the greens back later this month? First time planting bulbs in the Fall.
Dump the leaves on your garden. I read about a method where the guy does this. He doesn’t even turn the soil. He just keeps throwing on Mulch of leaves or whatever he has handy.
His theory was that no one does anything in the forest, and stuff grows, so why waste all that effort. Anyway, I would not waste the leaves.
When you plant, make sure you go into the soil, and not just into the mulch.
I would also point out that a space in your garden, if not in use during the winter for plants, can be the location of your compost pile and will likely be ready by spring planting.
If you would like to be added to the ping list-let me know.
Mine usually sprout and overwinter quite well. Being of the less effort fan club, I have never clipped them back. LOL
I have a spot in my backyard where I grow pumpkins each year. It is an elevated location retained by a wall, but the past two years my pumpkins have been rather anemic. I think the soil is becoming leached. Any suggestions on what I can do during the off season to improve growth? I used manure last year, but all it did was grow healthy weeds.
great— I’m all for low maintenance gardening, ehehehe. The dang squirrels are digging around back there. I’m gonna go all Marcella on them but probably going to buy a BB/pellet gun and take some target practice at those bushy tailed daytime tree rats. If they didnt dig around back there we could be friends but they gotta go.
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