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.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Farm Show 2011 Recap

It's been over a month since we visited this year's Sussex County Farm and Horse Show in NJ, but I just had to backtrack and share the photographic proof with you.


We caught this bug-eyed little calf and his mommy chilling under the livestock tents at the end of a long, hot day.


So cute!

Now that's one fine lookin' stud with one fine lookin' tractor.


This little lion head bunny put on quite the show.


What an adorabibble little blob of fluff.



We stormed through the chicken, rooster, and duck tents chasing after a two and a half year old on her first real trip to the farm show. Needless to say, there wasn't any time for beautiful fowl shots. I don't remember what I liked about this one. I think maybe his face was kind of blueish.


Who isn't a sucker for baby animals saying, "Peep peep peep!"


Pretty bad picture but this fellow was really imposing looking. He didn't have a characteristically red comb. His was deep brown, black, and maroon.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Mystery Melon Missing!

I visited the garden yesterday and found that my Mystery Melon plant had turned brown and the Mystery Melon was gone. I'm a little disappointed; when I saw it a week ago it was a little larger than a baseball and the plant was looking green and healthy. Such potential!

When I visit tomorrow I'm going to do a thorough search under the surrounding plants. Hopefully it fell off somewhere so I can at least crack it open and see what color flesh it has (had). The other possibility is that the Garden Thief stole it. The Garden Thief is perhaps the most difficult pest to deal with in a community garden.