September 22, 2014

Summer Garden Winding Down

The garden is just about done for the summer. I'm still getting a few tomatoes, okra, green beans, and black turtle beans. The sweet potatoes look good and I'll be harvesting those next month, trying to hold off as long as I can.


They need to be harvested before the frost, but since I got a late start I want to give them all the growing time possible. The Jerusalem artichokes (right) will be mulched heavily for harvest after the plants die back.

The amaranth did well.


I've just started to harvest the heads that are bent over from the weight of the seeds.


I grow amaranth for the chickens and the goats.

I only planted one bed of popcorn, but am happy that it did fairly well. Here's part of it -


We're still getting a few melons, both Green Nutmeg and watermelon, but they're all pretty small. Sweet though.


Okra, I'm slicing and freezing.


We like it oven fried or sauteed.

If you follow my book's facebook page, then you've likely already seen my red raspberry harvest.


I'm sure there were others and I'm guessing the birds got them. The fact that I only ever found one must mean that there weren't very many others no matter what. I was so hoping for raspberry something, but it's a plant that hasn't done well for me.

Of a fall garden, there isn't any news. We're going to do some revamping of our garden area so one of these days I'll have something on that.

How are your gardens doing?

And before I go, I'd like to remind you that there's still time to enter my giveaway!

20 comments:

Michelle said...

You got a lot of things we didn't, but I must admit that our raspberry harvest was better. ;-)

Farmer Barb said...

One thing about teeny little goats, is they can get through holes in fencing. I would appear that green beans are more popular with the caprine kids than the human ones! The Finnsheep likes them, too, but she is too big to sneak in the fence. My raspberries are in their third growing season, so I am finally getting more than the chipmunks. It usually takes me five years to begin to really HARVEST. The arugula is still rocking and everything else is having its sun stolen by it. The tomatoes are still hanging on by their firm grasp of the water table. We need rain!

Kev Alviti said...

My autumn raspberries are producing so much that the birds aren't touching them.
My summer garden is starting to show signs of slowing down. I enjoy the fact that the hard work of the summer & autumn will almost be over. No more watering every night. Hopefully there's enough in the winter beds to give us enough to pick over the coming months and with everything I've preserved.

Renee Nefe said...

I moved my containers to the back porch so that they would have the heat from the house to protect them from our early frost & snow. That seemed to work well. The plants actually seemed happier than when they were out in the yard near the retaining wall.
Green beans are still slow but giving me some. my cherry tomatoes went nutz, but since I didn't have them covered the birds got half of them!! >:(
The Roma tomaotes while not showing any signs of distress have just stalled. Peppers all seem okay.

I noticed in my shade garden (where my old garden used to be but now covered by trees) that the pumpkins suddenly have lots of babies. So I gave them a good long drink of water hoping for some growth. It's a race against the weather for them though.
The zucchini are still going, but slowly.
Lettuce, spinach and carrots are all still fine along with the chard, onions and garlic & herbs.

I'm thinking that I might just have to settle for green tomatoes from my romas. Last year I got 3 gallon freezer bags of tomatoes and that gave me almost 4 quarts of sauce. This year I have a bit over 1 and a half. I guess we'll be buying a lot more from the store this year...unless I can get to the farmer's market and find some there.

DebbieB said...

The only things I have still producing in my garden are okra, eggplant and peppers, with the occasional green bean. I've been slicing my okra for the freezer too. This is my first year growing it - do you find that it does well oven-fried after freezing? I've been oven-frying it fresh, but not sure how it behaves after thawing - I was thinking it would only be good for soup/gumbo. My husband will be happy if he can have oven-fried okra throughout the winter!

Leigh said...

Michelle, LOL, I've been noticing some beautiful raspberry harvests around the internet. Hopefully one day I can join them.

Barb, yes, goats do like green beans! I give mine the ends I snap off for canning. And now I'm wondering if maybe chipmunks are part of my raspberry problem. The cats do like to go check out the area, but obviously they haven't been enough of a deterrent!

Kev, that's a lot of raspberries! Have to agree about how nice it is when the garden slows down. It's wonderful gathering and preserving, but when autumn arrives I'm ready for a break.

Renee, you have more trouble with birds! Sounds like you've done well in general though.

Debbie, yes, frozen okra does great oven fried! That's how we eat all of ours. The only time I use it in soup is if I freeze too much. Then it goes into canned okra and tomatoes, or canned okra gumbo.

M.E. Masterson said...

I too am waiting on my sweet potatoes...the leaves are starting to turn color.... still getting peppers, some tomatoes won't pull them until frost....green beans have picked a lot off my fall crop..carrots are beautiful, beets are good, and kohlrabi is coming along nicely. The cabbage is a bit slow.. the okra is still coming on one at a time but blooming yet. Onions are growing good too!

Nina said...

I'm still harvesting tomatoes but it's close to the end for those. Peppers are about done, with just a couple left to harvest. None of the soft fruit didn't do well this year.

Debby Riddle said...

Waiting for the rains.....no summer garden, but looking forward to growing under glass this winter.

Mark said...

We're winding up our garden, also. We have carrots and potatoes out yet. The we've pulled the bush bean plants but the pole beans are still going. This is likely the last week for sweet corn. Melons, pumpkins, and butternut squash are still out, and we'll likely get another cabbage harvest. Everything else is in and done for the year except a few stragglers on the pepper plants that may or may not get done before our first frost.

Even though there is still a ways to go, we are at the point where are ready to be done with garden and to start enjoying some of the local fall festivals that will be coming around soon.

DebbieB said...

Good to know that the frozen okra will do well oven-fried, Leigh! Thanks!

I'm chuckling about everyone talking about first frost... it's still in the upper 80's here, and our lows haven't dipped below 73 overnight yet. :)

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

You should have a nice harvest of sweet potatoes soon :-)
How long have you had your raspberry plants? My berries vary from year to year. One year they will be really good, the next nothing.

My garden beds have been put to sleep until spring. There are two pepper plants still providing peppers in the garden, that's it.

Unknown said...

Leigh, what do you do with your JA's. Ive yet to find a recipe that doesnt eventuate in the partakers being uncomfortable with gas. So much so that they wont eat them. Is there are trick?

Su Ba said...

My garden has be unhappy with all the rain that we've been getting. I'm seeing problems with aphids, slugs, mold , and rot. But I am getting some veggies at least, Turnips, daikon, radishes, peas, beans, and lots of various herbs, but the tomatoes have been horrible all summer. Lots of rot and no flavor. The sweet potatoes are doing ok, as are the various taro varieties. But the Irish potatoes have been rotting or splitting. Oh well. Next year is suppose to be too dry, so I'll be complaining about no rain. Such is the life of a gardener.

Frugal in Derbyshire said...

Still quite a bit in the garden, but the nights are getting colder so I need to get in what I can before the frost gets it. Was away fishing all last week and came back to pounds and pounds of tomatoes and beans. Dug up the maincrop potatoes yesterday, which have been very successful this year. Like Kev from An English Homestead.I am making sure that the winter crops are in good order - mostly greens and roots. And we need to think of bedding the bees down for winter, though the days are still warm. Regarding raspberries, our red ones were rubbish, but our late yellow ones have been quite prolific.
Gill

Leigh said...

M.E., sounds like you have a good fall garden! That's something I'm really behind on this year. One thing I've never tried is kohlrabi. I should.

Nina, I'm glad to hear you got tomatoes! Pity about the fruit. I find fruit is unpredictable from year to year.

Debby, I'm sorry about that horrific drought there. Are you doing a cold frame? Hoop house? Greenhouse?

Mark, I would love to plant fall potatoes but seed potatoes are never available for that. They sell them in February and March and that's it. I do hear you about being ready to move on to something besides intense work in the garden!

Debbie, you're welcome! Fun how different our gardening experiences are, isn't it?

Sandy, I hope so! I take it you didn't plant a fall garden? Thanks for that about the raspberry plants. Maybe there's still hope! I believe those particular bushes have been there for two full years now. My first location was way to dry for establishing plants.

Lynda, do you have the same problem when they're cooked? We definitely can't eat them raw! The thing I really like to do with them is lactoferment. Better than sauerkraut or sauerruben! Also they are a winter staple for the goats. And pigs, I hope.

Gill, you know, I've never tasted a yellow raspberry. Hmm. Sounds like you've been very busy getting in your harvest. Envy all those potatoes! We had a good potato crop our first year and ever since it's been pretty piddly.

Harry Flashman said...

I'm impressed. Both with the number of your books you have sold, and with the crops you grew. Both are signal achievements.

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Some of your things I don't grow. I wouldn't have the room. I am sorry your raspberry harvest has been poor. We really love ours. Kind of sad to see the garden winding down but in a way we can move on to other things that need to be done. Nancy

Leigh said...

Harry, thank you! I don't know about achievement, but it signals hard work, LOL

Nancy, it's always interesting to me to see what others grow. Maybe next year I'll get raspberries. I'd also like to collect the leaves for my herbs, but haven't since the plants have remained so small. Maybe next year!

Cassandra said...

The amaranth is lovely! I've grown some but only for ornamental purposes. I've often wondered if it would be worth growing for feed or people food though, as it was a staple in many prehistoric diets.

I finally found some sweet potato slips and they've gone crazy, taking over the whole bed near the compost pile. I read somewhere that they should be harvested *after* the first frost though. I checked a root and didn't see any tubers but it looks like there may be some soon. Hoping it isn't too late! I expect frost in the next couple of weeks.

Congrats on your one little raspberry. It is a sign of good things to come next year, right? :)