Goings and Comings

      Early October is a time of transition for gardens here in Delaware.  While some tomato plants and cukes and peppers are still hanging on, they certainly are not thriving in these shorter days of fall.  There just isn't enough solar power to keep them going.  But as they peter out, the salad greens and cole crops should come into their glory in the cooler temperatures.

Unnamed small cherry tomato still thriving,  October 8,  2012

Even the tomato foliage is still thriving

While some tomatoes may ripen, these plants have given up

Summer flowers still look pretty good, summer veggies fading fast

Pick me and pull me

      Most of the tomatoes that were put out early in May are done, having run out of gas even if they were indeterminate plants.  However, some of the plants that were started from cuttings in June or early July are still looking alright, particularly two Chocolate Cherry plants over at the park.

Still going, and going.....

        The most productive single plant this season was a volunteer squash plant that I hoped might be a white Caspar pumpkin from where it popped up.  So against the advice of garden writers (squash plants are notorious cross breeders), I left it alone.  Turned out to be a true Patty Pan squash, and it produced over 40 squash during the season.  The plant is looking pretty beat up now, though there are still baby squash setting!

Single Patty Pan squash plant,  October 8,  2012

Malabar,  October 8,  2012

      This is the one malabar spinach plant that I put out this summer.  I had started some cuttings last September, and after giving away three starts, this is the single one I had left.  It is a tropical plant, and will melt into a mess with the first frost.  I will be taking some cuttings soon to root for the beginnings of a new crop for next year.  So although this vine looks fine at the moment, its end is soon in sight.
       So as the summer crops are going, the fall crops are coming in stronger and stronger.

Four Seasons lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson, Arugula

Purple Top Turnip

Fedco Tendergreens, and kale to the right

      The cold frames will soon need to be put back together, and repaired where necessary.  I scavenged wood and glass over the last few months, so I expect there will even be newer and better cold frames in the near future.  I am potting up any volunteers that I find to develop good roots for transplant to one of the many cold frames.
      From one season to the next, with no big pause in sight.

Volunteer Squash

      Most gardening literature suggests that one should not save seed from the cole family or the squash family, as the seed will probably produce some kind of undesirable cross.  I have grown volunteer squash in the past that have produced scary gourd like monster squash.  I have even suggested to fellow gardeners that they not waste the time or space on squash volunteers in their gardens.  So why did I let three plants grow on in my garden?

Volunteer squash,  July 18th, 2012

      Two of the plants came up in the area where I grew white Casper pumpkins last year.  This space is a bed between my garden and my neighbor's yard, kind of a no man's land.  I figured I could let the plants grow as a ground cover.  Should be better than weeds.  This morning I had a big harvest:

      Six beautiful patty pan squash!  I had patty pan last year in another part of the garden, so apparently one seed made it through the winter.  And came up true.  There is a second plant behind this first monster that I also allowed to grow, again hoping for pumpkins.  Turns out that plant looks like a true mesa acorn squash.  There is a third plant that I moved from the area of last year's acorn squash, hoping it too will be an acorn.  The plant suffered from the move in the 90 degree plus heat, but has survived.  Watch that one turn out to be a pumpkin!  The patty pan were too many to carry, so I put them into one of my handy do everything containers.  Looked kind of eerie.

      Will I let volunteer squash plants grow up next year?  Guess it depends on where they choose to sprout.

Today's Harvest

      This afternoon is hot and muggy, but not raining at the moment.  So time was spent in the garden working on the tomato staking, and to look around for the hiding harvest.  This is what shook out of the bushes today.  Patty pan and acorn squash, a nice cucumber, a yellow straight neck squash, and more tomatoes.

Back yard harvest, 8-15-11

      The tomatoes were added to the batch on the porch to finish ripening.  Would you believe that Cindy made a triple batch of tomato soup just yesterday!  Simply scrumptious on a cold winter's day.

Porch collection, 8-15-11