Is there anything as sad as an abandoned sfg

I had a beautiful spring garden and had just planted my summer garden when I was called out of town for 4 months. I left the sprinkler on during the summer and told my grass cutting guy he could have anything that grew. I moved most of my summer plants to my son's house. I stopped by the house in mid Sep and everything was so pitiful I pulled some weeds, butternut squash, 1 tomato and decided to turn the water off.
Finally returned home Thurs. night and after a day of rain all day yesterday, I checked my gardens this morning. So sad, but will you look at what the lone tomato did in its pot and the chard still has viable roots and bug eaten leaves. The marigolds are putting on a show and there are some kale, onions, peppers and basil still growing. But this hurricane ravaged, summer burnt, abandoned garden looks so sad.

Tomorrow I start reclaiming. I'll plant one bed in garlic and put some row cover on the kale and chard. I might get a Thanksgiving dinner out of it. I harvested all the tomatoes and peppers even though we are not due for frost. They just looked so dejected.















Kay

That is sad Kay. I hope you are able to stay home next year to tend to your gardens. I guess all you can do is get started on cleaning it up and planning your next move. There is some things left though, which is saying some thing after this growing season and your being gone. Plus, you still have your SFG's and the MM, so your not in square one.

I'm posting a really good recipe for Salmon and Swiss Chard Quiche. It only takes one bunch of leaves (around 7-10 leaves that are 12 inches or so long), so if you don't get enough to make what you would like, you might try this.

I agree the garden looks a little sad, but I'm sure it was very happy to see you home again with plans to do a few things before winter bedtime.

sorry about your garden. Good news, the soil is so soft, the dead plants will pull right out , and no weeds either! Can you imagine a "regular" garden left unattended so long?

Best part? The plants just pull right out and you look good as new in 15 minutes.

I hate to admit that mine looks the same. If it were not for my wonderful husband who went out a few weeks ago and did some cleaning it would look much much worse. I haven't planted an onion or a clove of garlic yet and my time is certainly running out. Life is just that way sometimes, but I am so thankful that my SFG, when I am ready, will be so easy to whip right back into shape!

Well the abandoned garden cleaned up pretty good. After harvesting some pretty yellow peppers for hot pepper jelly and adding some plastic for winter protection.







Here are 4 beds reclaimed.

the basil is gone, but now there are radish and carrots sprouting from some left over seed and collard starts added to the spring kale that survived





The frost took the basil and marigolds but the surviving kale is now joined by some spinach starts



I harvested the peppers and cut back the bug eaten spring chard which is making a glorious comeback. Also added some lettuce starts and black seeded simpson seed. Who knows if the sprouts will get big enough to eat but they were left overs.







And the onion bed is now planted with various garlics



Not a bad 3 week investment.

If the weather just holds and we only get night frosts, I hope to have greens from the garden for Christmas dinner. I bought some Christmas lights for the hoops only to find out my exterior outlets are not working. Eventually I'll be able to get them repaired but not this season.



Kay

Wonderful recovery, Kay! That's the good thing about gardening - there's always another opportunity to try again!!!

I'm definitely a newby at fall gardening - posted some pics earlier today of some things that were new for me to try! Such fun - and my fall garden is going much better than my summer one did! Fall gardening is just easier, I think, here in the deep south - no sweltering heat to deal with!

Lookin' very good. Great fall garden.

Looks like you will have a Fall Garden after all.

Congratulations on your rebuilding after such a long time away in Austria.

Salad greens, Chard and Garlic sounds like a good plan.

It certainly is a disappointment that your christmas lights won't be able to be used to keep your SFG warm over the winter, but there is always next year.

I hope she saved a few of them pepper seeds?

Yes, I saved some peppers and let them dry out. Hope the seed comes true yellow again.

Can't believe I still have a garden. Watered everything heavily, put out garden blankets, and fastened up the plastic on the hoop then left town for Christmas.

Opened up the beds this morning. Soil was pretty dry but look at the plants.

















Dinner harvest



5 out of 6 beds have something harvestable in them, even the onions in the garlic beds.

Kay

that's great news Kay always fun to harvest that chard is getting bigger then it should just my .02 worth I collect pepper seed if you have any extra

HillbillyBob wrote:that's great news Kay always fun to harvest that chard is getting bigger then it should just my .02 worth I collect pepper seed if you have any extra

The yellow peppers germinated this spring and I have extra. Send me a PM and i"ll see if I can get some to you.

Kay