I'm not sure where the summer went, but I'm glad it's fall. I've been cranky lately because I started another project management class and can't fritter my time away like I did over the summer. I visited Karin at Southern Meadows and she wrote a post about being in a funk, but turned it around with a little help from some sunflowers and P. Funk. Thanks to Karin for some much needed inspiration.
I've been ready for garden season to be over for a few weeks now and have been trying to will the vegetable garden to hibernate, but it's not ready to go to bed. It's like the energizer bunny. It keeps going and going and going.
One of the lesson learned this year is that I tried to cram too many plants into my square foot garden. Nonetheless, the nasturtiums are keepers and I will plant more next year.
The tomatoes were too large for their cages and for the square foot garden. I decreased the watering about a month ago, but they still keep growing. The organic Roma tomatoes are supposed to be determinate. I thought that they would ripen all at once so I could do some canning, but that hasn't happened. They are still blooming as are the heirloom Brandywine tomatoes.
I read that I could stop watering if I wanted all of my tomatoes to ripen at once. If it gets a lot cooler, I might have to try this. Another lesson learned from the veggie garden was that it took a lot of water. This is another reason to decrease the number of plants that I grow next year.
One of the zucchini plants is still producing deformed little squash. I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of zucchini. They're definitely not keepers.
The eggplant didn't flourish in the garden. Isn't it cute? It's an heirloom Bianca Sfumata di Rosa eggplant. This wasn't an epic fail, but I did have some other plants that were completely unsuccessful. The red onions and golden beets were very sad. Too sad that they didn't even warrant photos.
I'm still ready for the garden to go night night, but the vegetable garden was a great learning experience for me. Next year, I would like to start some more plants from seeds, plant fewer numbers and grow lots of herbs and be done with all of my project management classes.
I love zucchini bread. It's wonderful if you want to make that. As for tomatoes, I wish I had some green ones to add to my closet to ripen over the next couple months.
ReplyDeleteYou have longer gardening than I do here. I have been out the last week and doing some cutting back on some things. You'll probably start yours before long.
Cher Sunray Gardens
I think it might freeze soon so I better start picking green tomatoes. I started reading about ripening green tomatoes. I'll give it a go and see what happens.
DeleteI completely understand the difficulties in time management. I have been struggling with that myself. I have kept a few tomato plants in the garden even though I have transitioned over to the fall crops. I will probably have to remove them soon. Once a frost hits, they will wilt, and I will lose the tomatoes. If I bring in the tomatoes, they will ripen in time. Your veggie garden looks so full. You must have had quite a crop this summer.
ReplyDeleteI will pass on the fall crops this year, but I did have a bumper crop of tomatoes, lemon cucumber, zucchini and Italian parsley. The parsley was delicious in tabbouleh and salads.
DeleteYou made me smile with your comments in your post. I understand how you feel about the garden that keeps producing. I feel like I should be grateful but it also takes time to can, freeze or prepare the harvest. I think it is difficult to decide how much of everything to plant. Your eggplant looks good and so does the zucchini. We love zucchini bread at our house. The bread freezes well too. Best of luck with your course! Thanks for the shout out! xx
ReplyDeleteI've looked up a few zucchini bread recipes. I found a lemon poppy seed zucchini bread recipe from Southern Living magazine that I might try.
DeleteI know what you mean--everything is getting scraggly around here. But I'm not wishing for the end of the growing season. Instead, it will hit me smack dab in the middle of the night on Thursday--our first hard freeze! Since I don't cover plants, that will be the end of my annuals and veggies for the season. :(
ReplyDeleteThere supposed to be a freeze soon. I'm preparing to pick the last of the veggies that are salvageable and clean out the garden bed. I bought a row cover this year and I'm hoping to use it next spring to start plants early.
DeleteWe learn from our mistakes. Next year you will have experienced a much less sow plants. Nasturtiums I sowed too, but I just bloomed two, one yellow and one orange. I also have one on the balcony, that I not taking place at all.
ReplyDeleteUčíme sa na vlastných chybách. Na budúci rok budeš mať skúsenosti a zasadíš oveľa menej rastlín. Kapucínky som si zasiala aj ja, ale kvitli mi iba dve, jedna žltá a jedna oranžová. Jednu mám aj na balkóne, tá mi vôbec nekvitla.
You conducted the perfect lesson to start veggies...start small, learn and then regroup for next year. I learn more every year and have failures...I do love my grow bags...very easy and lots of success....
ReplyDeleteThis is a great time a year to draw up a list of problems and come up with a fresh take on things for spring. The first year I did vegetables, I planted too many seeds. This year I did a bit better, but there is still room for improvement. I gave up on zucchini too. Just not enough room for them! Like you I want to expand my collection of herbs next spring. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteIf your plants won't stop growing it's because you've made them too happy in their beds. :o) Beets don't grow that well for me, either. I had good luck with growing veggies in pots this summer.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to wish you Happy Holidays! - Cindy
ReplyDeleteoh, my tomatoes won't stay in their cages, either!! I have made new cages out of construction wire, maybe you could try that, too? Those cheap Walmart ones don't stand a chance in this wind tunnel!
ReplyDeleteI though perhaps you would share those birch trees with us again this winter!??
(hint, hint!)