A photo journey thru my garden today.

Though I had issues that kept me from my garden as I wished, I still have things growing so I took pictures today. More than I thought, actually. Being in zone 5a, our winter comes early here in Maine.

Two of my Super Red 80 cabbages, which is a small variety, are still growing. I'm hoping they'll form solid heads soon so we can enjoy them like their sisters a couple of weeks ago.

One of my Packman Broccoli is still putting out nibs so I harvested a couple today.

The only green cabbage left is a Bonnie Best. Its still quite small. It'll be a battle to which of us will get it first but I'm willing to harvest small and tender before Mother Nature intervenes.

I picked the last of the hot Anaheim peppers, nice and red. No more of those for me this year. That's a Chantenay carrot beside it.

I was surprised to still see a few peppers growing but here's an Italian Sweet on the plant. Its large but still green. If it doesn't change color before a frost, I'll pick it. I don't mind green peppers.

A couple more sweet peppers, these are yellow Sweet Antohi and a fairly large size. They'll taste good in a side dish.

I picked a Hollow Crown Parsnip to check its size. They taste much better after a couple of frosts, so I won't harvest til sometime in October. Another Chantenay carrot beside them. I still have Chantenay and Nantes carrots underground to harvest later.

I keep chives in my bed permanently but I'll have to thin it back quite a bit this year before winter so it'll have room for new growth next year. It overwinters here in zone 5a. That's Bright Light Swiss chard you see upper left. Still healthy and giving good leaf for meals.

My Siberian Kale is doing splendidly, nice and dark and healthy. Beside it are still a few stalks left of Bantam sweet corn. Had some corn last night and it was delish. I hope I can get a few more cobs before frost.

I checked my herb pots that I'll be bringing inside. I've got healthy Rosemary, both Italian and Curled Parsley, Tarragon, Basil, Lemon Balm and in a hanging pot not in the photo is my Thyme. I'll be bringing them inside my foyer where I have a couple of growing lights to help bring them thru a bit longer into the winter before they're done.
I had a good day today, walking thru my garden beds and seeing that there is more to come. Even my Velvet Red cherry tomato plant is still producing. It didn't suffer the dreaded blight like my others so I'm still getting a handful of tomatoes each day. Love them in a salad.
Thank you for joining me in my garden walk today!

Nice trip thru your garden, QB...thanks for that.

That Siberian Kale, did you have it covered with tulle all the time? Does it last OK in the heat?

CC

CapeCoddess.....Actually, I never covered the kale at all. Its a strong plant and doesn't have many enemies and I guess it never got hot enough to matter.

Wow...my kale get eaten by the cabbage worms. And something is now eating my radish leaves right down the the nubs. Any ideas?

CC

Quiltbea nice garden and pictures! Thank you for sharing!

CapeCoddess try going out at night with a flashlight and see if you can catch whatever is eating your radish leaves. I was so shocked when I did that in the Summer and found a massive infestation of earwigs. Good luck!

Looks great QB.

I love that even though we're on opposite sides of the world, some of the varieties are the same, I've just started planting my sweet corn and am growing Bantam as well.

CapeCoddess.....I would go out at nite as well and check for critters on the leaves. If you are not seeing them in daylight, they must be out at nite.

I like Golden Bantam corn for SFG because they have shorter stalks and are smaller and take up less room so I can get more in my squares. I plant 2 per square diagonally across from each other.

Quiltbea I am glad you are still looking foward to more to harvest, the pictures are great and I will keep that corn in mind for next year!

Love your pics and look at all those chives QB ! I wish I had planted more than 1 square, your picture reminded me to add it to 2013's planting notes. Happy Harvesting!

llama momma.....those chives were from 4 plants last spring 2011. They keep multiplying each year so need thinning this year. They will die back during our harsh snow-covered winter, but in the spring they are the first to be coming back again. If you've got any planted right now, they will increase next year so you won't have to buy any more. As for me, I've got to thin them out and even start myself in indoor pot or they'll spread in spring and take up too many of my squares next year.

The chives are in the front row, 2nd from right seen here in June 2011. They were small then but grew abundantly since in that same square.

QB

The joke is on me I didn't know they will return, so I pulled mine all out. used some and froze the rest. Live and learn and thank you for the lesson.

LM

llama momma wrote:QB

The joke is on me I didn't know they will return, so I pulled mine all out. used some and froze the rest. Live and learn and thank you for the lesson.

LM

LM - Can't seem to kill mine! If you would like some shipped your way, just let me know!

GG

Thanks for the offer GG - but I've got another unopened packet of it. Much Appreciate your Kindness. Did one of those scatter brained things where I bought more, forgetting I already had some.

Can you plant something in with the wayward the chives? Maybe, like onions, they are a great pest repellant?

CC

llama momma wrote: Did one of those scatter brained things where I bought more, forgetting I already had some.

I am currently working my way through squash seeds bought by that method.....

GG

Don't plant anything with the chives. They will quickly crowd out anything in their square. The roots are very thick and wide and there's no room for anything else.

I envy you the peppers. It is good to see your update, I was wondering how you were. Good to hear you are looking and planning towards next years garden.

I wonder if you have been able to see any long term differences in the tomato planting depth trials? Inquiring minds want to know

Turan..... Thank you for the reminder. I forgot all about reporting them.

I can tell you that those planted deeper caught up with their shallow-planted sisters and even grew beyond as summer progressed. Production was higher on the normally deep-planted ones because they grew taller and had more branching surfaces.

Both shallow and deep were equally sturdy plants.

I think I'll continue to transplant future tomatoes about 6" deeper than they were in their 4" pots next year.

quiltbea wrote:Turan..... Thank you for the reminder. I forgot all about reporting them.

I can tell you that those planted deeper caught up with their shallow-planted sisters and even grew beyond as summer progressed. Production was higher on the normally deep-planted ones because they grew taller and had more branching surfaces.

Both shallow and deep were equally sturdy plants.

I think I'll continue to transplant future tomatoes about 6" deeper than they were in their 4" pots next year.

Pretty definitive then for cooler soil areas. Thanks!
Any chance of pulling them up and seeing how much root they put on the buried stems?

Turan....I plan to get out again tomorrow. Rain yesterday and today so too wet for me out there.
I'll try to remember to check their root systems.

Quiltbea, your (green) cabbage looks about like mine. I have never grown cabbage before and I wasn't sure whether it's supposed to be a loose leaf, or form a head. Does it matter?

Of course, the worms are getting mine anyway and it was more of an experiment than anything - we're not big cabbage eaters, but I'd like to grow everything anyway. But I didn't know whether the leaf stage was it, or whether it's supposed to form a head first.

I picked my cabbage leaves like cut and come again. They never had a chance to head up. Recently the cabbage worms got em.

But I've planted 3 more in my fall garden and it's covered with tulle so they are doing great...so far.

CC

So you can eat the leaves no problem before they head? And they don't taste funny?

They tasted like cabbage to me. But I don't have an intense sense of smell or taste.

Has anyone else noticed a diff in taste if you eat cabbage leaves before they head up or if you wait for the head to eat it?

CC