Fall in the Garden

The beans and squash are long gone and the tomatoes are slowing down. If I can get enough ripe tomatoes to can a little bit of juice, then the remaining green ones will go into green tomato relish. The okra is still bearing, but some of the plants have gotten so tall, I can't pick it! That job will now have to go to dh, Mark. Since he's 6' 5", he's the only one who can reach them without a ladder!

I planted swiss chard, red leaf lettuce, turnip greens, collards, mustard and kale. They are coming along nicely and will love the cooler weather over the next several days. Who am I kidding? We're ALL loving the cooler weather. The turnip greens have reached a nice size, so I harvested some for supper. There were a few of the other greens that looked pickable, so I threw them in, too.

The spinach and beets had to be replanted, as the first go-around didn't fair so well. I'm not sure if it was the heat at the time, or maybe I didn't water enough. I've also added about 30 or so broccoli plants.

I've already decided that I will expand the size of the garden for next season and try a few new things along with the normal fare. It will take multiple tillings over the winter to make it work, but I think it can be done. With the batch of compost that is brewing in the tumbler and maybe a cover crop of red clover, the soil should be workable.

I love my garden!