It’s raining and cool, a good day to write. The carrots, spinach, lettuce, pak choy, and swiss chard are happily growing in the shelter of the greenhouse (a gift from my marvelous fiancé). The weather is perfect for them with cool night temperatures in the low 50’s and daytime temperatures in the mid 60’s. I plan to start the next planting of leeks in a few weeks. I love greenhouse gardening. I used to get depressed around this time of year because I knew my growing season was coming to a close. Now autumn is a happy time because I have a whole new growing season to begin that will extend well into the winter.
There is still enough warm weather left to continue outdoor gardening too. The brussell’s sprouts are getting larger and the second round of kohlrabi are developing nicely. The broccoli plants are just beginning to develop heads which seems pretty late to me, but the stalks are almost as tall as I am. I guess I will just have to wait and see how they turn out. I might need a shorter season variety for next year. I have started a fall crop of broccolini, which might work out a little better for me. It’s a good lesson to learn for next spring.
The tomatoes are still coming in. I have more paste tomatoes growing than I have all season. I hope they have time to ripen before the weather gets too cool. I like to be able to make some sauce for winter. I am no longer allowing them to set flowers. I want them to put their energy into the tomatoes that are already there. I check almost daily and pinch back any new flower buds.
The pretty Tete Noir cabbages have reached their full size and have been picked. I love red cabbage and look forward to sautéing them in butter or shredding and tossing them in a salad.
The raspberry plants were getting out of control, so I made a new trellis from heavy duty garden stakes and chicken wire. After I had all the stalks neatly trellised, I cut about a dozen volunteers that had found their way back to the dirt and set roots from the tips. I think I may know a few people who will be interested in giving them a good home.
While one part of gardening season is ending, the next is just beginning and there is so much to look forward to!
Be sure to visit my photobucket page to check out all my garden images:
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc457/PittsburghGardener/
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
The last days of Summer
August is gone and it feels a good deal like Autumn. It put me in the mood to cut up the pumpkins I have been storing and roast the seeds. Pumpkin seeds have always been one of my favorite snacks which is the main reason I grow the Snack Jack pumpkins instead of pie or jack o’ lantern types. The other reason is space, they take up far less room and are easy to trellis.
The golden and red raspberry plants that I planted in the spring have been growing all summer and have finally put on a few berries. I can’t wait until they ripen! The black berry brambles gave me quite a few berries earlier in the summer, enough to share with the chipmunks anyway. Blueberries and strawberries were sparse, but it is their first year too, I won’t judge them too harshly just yet.
I’ve started some fall crops, like kohlrabies, carrots, radishes, and beets. I plan to get another round of spinach and lettuce started very soon. The dwarf pak choy I grew last fall did so well that I plan to double the amount I plant this year. I think I should also be able to get in another round of leek. Even if it doesn’t make it to full maturity, it will still be wonderful in fall and winter soups and tossed in with skillet potatoes.
The sunflowers are a big hit the bees and the birds. Every time I walk out the back door, gold finches and chickadees scatter in a chorus of chirps and chatters. The marigolds were also a favorite of the bees. I’ve collected some seeds to see if I can grow them again in the spring. They are a hybrid variety, so who knows what I will they will look like if I can get them to germinate. It’s always fun to try anyhow. The zinnas took most of the summer to start blooming but now that they have, they looks so cheery and lovely, they were certainly worth the wait.
Even as summer draws to a close, I know that there is still planting and harvesting to do. It may feel like fall, but until the snows come, I plan to do and grow as much as I can, and enjoy my garden each day.
Remember, you can check out images from my August garden at http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc457/PittsburghGardener/August%20Garden%202011/
The golden and red raspberry plants that I planted in the spring have been growing all summer and have finally put on a few berries. I can’t wait until they ripen! The black berry brambles gave me quite a few berries earlier in the summer, enough to share with the chipmunks anyway. Blueberries and strawberries were sparse, but it is their first year too, I won’t judge them too harshly just yet.
I’ve started some fall crops, like kohlrabies, carrots, radishes, and beets. I plan to get another round of spinach and lettuce started very soon. The dwarf pak choy I grew last fall did so well that I plan to double the amount I plant this year. I think I should also be able to get in another round of leek. Even if it doesn’t make it to full maturity, it will still be wonderful in fall and winter soups and tossed in with skillet potatoes.
The sunflowers are a big hit the bees and the birds. Every time I walk out the back door, gold finches and chickadees scatter in a chorus of chirps and chatters. The marigolds were also a favorite of the bees. I’ve collected some seeds to see if I can grow them again in the spring. They are a hybrid variety, so who knows what I will they will look like if I can get them to germinate. It’s always fun to try anyhow. The zinnas took most of the summer to start blooming but now that they have, they looks so cheery and lovely, they were certainly worth the wait.
Even as summer draws to a close, I know that there is still planting and harvesting to do. It may feel like fall, but until the snows come, I plan to do and grow as much as I can, and enjoy my garden each day.
Remember, you can check out images from my August garden at http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc457/PittsburghGardener/August%20Garden%202011/
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