Thursday, September 29, 2011

Racing Frost, Ripening Tomatoes

We're at the end of September and I haven't done anything in the garden lately except some occasional harvesting and trimming of dead foliage. Yes, there are still some things growing but they've all slowed down at this point and I'm just playing chicken with the weather. I'm hoping to harvest a bit more before the frosty nights arrive and then I'll get to the annual soil maintenance (which I never got to last year).


What's growing and what's left? The remaining chard is beginning to look a little haggard from some kind of bug damage but there's probably a couple salvageable bunches in there. I've got a couple dozen carrots that are in various states of ripeness. Half a dozen beets are still in the ground but last I looked they were almost too small to bother pulling. My cherry tomato plant is semi-loaded with small green fruit that may or may not ripen. The yellow bell pepper might be turning the slightest shade of yellow. My volunteer tomato plant is loaded with plum sized green fruit. One or two heads of escarole popped up that could be pulled for salads.


I'm waiting on those tomatoes. The volunteer plant has more fruit on it than any tomato plant I've ever babied in the plot. I've also got loads of anaheim chillies and jalapeno peppers in pots by my front stoop. Salsa may be in my future. Or another batch of hot sauce.


Here's what the garden looked like this morning with one of the resident kitties looking on (and probably waiting to poop in my plot):


A very large spider had made a web beside the gate and was awaiting breakfast.



What's next? Pumpkins of course. My count is already up to 6. I picked up a sack of mini white pumpkins at the store last week.

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