more pics - fall harvest

Picked the last of the tomatoes tonight...not bad for late October

Fall gardening is supposed to the the best time for beets in our area...but it was disappointing as I had very little success compared to this past spring (earlier beets all looked like the second from right - about 3" diameter). I picked what you see here this evening...about 80% of my beet plants never developed a beet, only tops.

fall radishes are doing great...did not have any success in the spring.

Wow, I am a little jealous of you guys that are still getting tomatoes! They look wonderful as well as everything else, bummer on the beets though but they still look good and healthy!

these were tomatoes that finally bloomed in late August after the 106 degree temps ended...I left them on the vine as long as possible to ripen...took a long time but they taste great.

We frosted pretty heavily a few nights ago and my jalapeno pepers finally went down...too lazy to mess with hoops and plastic.

looks great!....congrats on your harvest!

hugs
rose

those beets look so good! i love them! i got a few "tops" and that's about it

Southern gardener you may also have a nutrient problem with your bed(s) along with the suspect water problem. I am not an expert so maybe someone can help out. It has something to do with what nutrient is needed to get above-ground foliage and what nutrient to get below-ground growth like for beets. I am wondering if you need lots more compost in your bed(s). They may be deficient in nutrients.

southern gardener wrote:those beets look so good! i love them! i got a few "tops" and that's about it

Funny thing, I only grow beets for the tops. Don't like beetroot.

Kay

Beets are more of a cool season crop, so that is probably why they did not develop roots - way too hot! As for your other vegetables - they look great! Did you grow any pumpkins or squash?

We wrap up our green tomatoes in newspaper and let them slowly ripen. They don't taste as good as a vine ripened tomato but are still more flavorful than what you find in the store. We hardly got anything ripened on our fruits this year too - I think that even though tomatoes are a warm season crop they were not setting fruit because it was too hot for the bees and tomatoes!

Steph

Cucurbitlover,

If you were responding to me, I guess that's why I'm disappointed in my fall garden...I had invredible beets and carrots from the spring garden eventhough it was hot and dry, and had horrible luck with beets and carrots this fall when the cooler weather is supposed to be prime. Again, I think adding a scoop of home-made compost is too rich for root crops. Next year I'll probably to entire boxes of beets and carrots, not add additional compost, and work some hardwood ash into the soil.

I may even send in a sample of Mels Mix for a soil test...in our county, we get one free test per address for 2012.

landarch wrote:Cucurbitlover,

If you were responding to me, I guess that's why I'm disappointed in my fall garden...I had invredible beets and carrots from the spring garden eventhough it was hot and dry, and had horrible luck with beets and carrots this fall when the cooler weather is supposed to be prime. Again, I think adding a scoop of home-made compost is too rich for root crops. Next year I'll probably to entire boxes of beets and carrots, not add additional compost, and work some hardwood ash into the soil.

I may even send in a sample of Mels Mix for a soil test...in our county, we get one free test per address for 2012.

Let us know what you find out please. Did you make your own MM?

walshevak wrote:

southern gardener wrote:those beets look so good! i love them! i got a few "tops" and that's about it

Funny thing, I only grow beets for the tops. Don't like beetroot.

Kay

Kay ,
Which ways have your tried them raw fine grated in / on a salad , borsch soup ( SP ) , boiled skinned hot with main meal of meat other veg and thick gravy , boiled skinned cold with ham & egg salad , sweetpickled in vinegar with herbs and spices , sour pickled in salt and vinegar with a decent spoon of pickle seasonings , thin sliced and turned into crisps ( USA chips ) with black pepper & sea salt on them ???

landarch wrote:Cucurbitlover,

If you were responding to me, I guess that's why I'm disappointed in my fall garden...I had invredible beets and carrots from the spring garden eventhough it was hot and dry, and had horrible luck with beets and carrots this fall when the cooler weather is supposed to be prime. Again, I think adding a scoop of home-made compost is too rich for root crops. Next year I'll probably to entire boxes of beets and carrots, not add additional compost, and work some hardwood ash into the soil.

I may even send in a sample of Mels Mix for a soil test...in our county, we get one free test per address for 2012.

Root crops like carrots ,swede and beetroots etc. ( not potatoes ) are best grown in soils that have not been manured for at least a year and better if it is two years ..

Too rich a soil will as you have already found out give forth all top and not enough bottom .
During the life of a root crop plant it needs different components to give sturdy continous growth .

I think it is that early in life it needs just water & something to anchor its roots and very little nutrients , then you need potash to get the roots going out & down and a wee while later some nitrogen to bring the leaves up enough to get photosynthisis going strong & good .

If the source of nitrogen is proplonged or going to increase because of further decomposition of the compost/manure it will upset the recipe and as said give you all top and no bottom .

Compost that is not fully composted /finished to a decent level will give this problem time & time again as it will carry on composting once in the beds . High woody material content composts seem to be a major part of this unfinished composting situation .

yep, I think when I added a scoop of new home-made compost to each square before planting the fall garden was too much nitrogen. Next spring I will probalby do carrot and beet only boxes so I can treat the soil differently than other plants need.

This past spring, I did a test and had great success in a couple of my boxes that did not have mels Mix...I used amended native soil that was aged a year or so...not as rich and had some wood ash mixed in.

We also need real rain...not much this fall and watering with a hose is not as good as mother nature in my opinion.

plantoid wrote:

walshevak wrote:

southern gardener wrote:those beets look so good! i love them! i got a few "tops" and that's about it

Funny thing, I only grow beets for the tops. Don't like beetroot.

Kay

Kay ,
Which ways have your tried them raw fine grated in / on a salad , borsch soup ( SP ) , boiled skinned hot with main meal of meat other veg and thick gravy , boiled skinned cold with ham & egg salad , sweetpickled in vinegar with herbs and spices , sour pickled in salt and vinegar with a decent spoon of pickle seasonings , thin sliced and turned into crisps ( USA chips ) with black pepper & sea salt on them ???

Pickled is the only way I enjoy them. I've have them raw in an apple/beet salad that was edible but not something I would go back for. Plain boiled beets just tast dirty to me.

Kay

Here are some pics from yesterday...still hope for some of my carrots. It's supposed to be "warm" for a while but I'm considering experimenting with some pvc hoops and clear plastic to see how long I can let the carrots grow.

Broccoli - not sure how much longer I can let the heads grow before the buds start to open...heads are about 4" in diameter.



swiss chard adding some awesome color against the greens...

I pick spinach daily (omlettes for breakfast and turkey wraps for lunch/ dinner)...it took a while to germinate, but the growth has been really good.

Nice cauli's ......to keep the curds white break a couple of the bigger leaves over then to make shade and /or use an elastic band to draw some of the bigger leaves over the curd . That way you might get some decent 8 inch curds without them yellowing or breaking out to running to seed for a fortnight or so ( check daily and harvest at teh first sign .. they will keep for a week or ten days in the crisper drawer of a refridgerator.

landarch wrote:Here are some pics from yesterday...still hope for some of my carrots. It's supposed to be "warm" for a while but I'm considering experimenting with some pvc hoops and clear plastic to see how long I can let the carrots grow.

Broccoli - not sure how much longer I can let the heads grow before the buds start to open...heads are about 4" in diameter.



swiss chard adding some awesome color against the greens...

I pick spinach daily (omlettes for breakfast and turkey wraps for lunch/ dinner)...it took a while to germinate, but the growth has been really good.

wow! beautiful harvest! when did you plant the cauliflower,swiss chard and broccoli?

I planted chard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower around September 1st (bedding plants from my local nursery)...carrot, beet, spinach, and additional chard seeds went in about the same time. This was about a month late according to our local county extension service, but 113 degree temps in August and no rain didn't seem right for the fall garden.

Radish and lettuce seeds went in about mid-September.

What amazed me was I saw beet bedding plants for sale at the nursery this year...nearly $4 for a single beet that was already formed. I guess it was to be planted and harvest beet tops for those who didn't want to wait for beet seeds to come up. You can buy a whole pack of beet seeds for $1 and have beet tops in just 3-4 weeks.

landarch wrote:I planted chard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower around September 1st (bedding plants from my local nursery)...carrot, beet, spinach, and additional chard seeds went in about the same time. This was about a month late according to our local county extension service, but 113 degree temps in August and no rain didn't seem right for the fall garden.

Radish and lettuce seeds went in about mid-September.

What amazed me was I saw beet bedding plants for sale at the nursery this year...nearly $4 for a single beet that was already formed. I guess it was to be planted and harvest beet tops for those who didn't want to wait for beet seeds to come up. You can buy a whole pack of beet seeds for $1 and have beet tops in just 3-4 weeks.

OK...thanks so much. My plants/seeds were planted the same time or earlier than yours, and are WAY behind. Like 4" tall with 3-4 leaves. So...I'm behind..ugh. Gonna give up I think....

Here in kansas city, fall gardening is supposed to be really good. Seeds should go in late July/ early August so plants have a chance to mature before first frost (October 10th). I was about a month late with my seeding because of the heat and drought (100 degree temps and no rain).

There was even risk of it being too hot when bedding plants were available from local nurseries...it think it was still in the 90's when they went in.

We've been lucky on our first frost...nothing too cold yet (lost the peppers last week).

Southern Gardener
Ordinarily we don't advocate fertilizers in our SFGardens, but this might be an exception. We all seem to feel your mix is missing something or is a bad mix somehow.

Try an emergency dose of Miraclegro while doing a long term improvement to your mix.
Kay

walshevak wrote:Southern Gardener
Ordinarily we don't advocate fertilizers in our SFGardens, but this might be an exception. We all seem to feel your mix is missing something or is a bad mix somehow.

Try an emergency dose of Miraclegro while doing a long term improvement to your mix.
Kay

Thanks Kay. I've done the fish emulsion two or three times during the growing time...since mid August. They turn a little greener, but don't grow much if at all. I'm going to try some fertilizer as much as I hate doing it , but we want some veggies. I'm going to give this a valiant effort, but I'm beginning to really lose heart. I have some health issues, so I have to rely on my sweet husband or others to help me out, or I'd tear out the whole thing myself. Thank you again for the advice