Cucumbers produced yet remain a challenge, some plants hit by early wilt (even supposedly-resistant new pickling variety) and mildew (it was a wet summer), sprayed w/Bt in June & July, try planting seedings in other spots around garden again to avoid wilt.
Pumpkins did reasonably well this year (7 from 5 plants) despite borers being a problem again.
Watermelons were less awesome than last year, producing fewer – and smaller – melons; experiment with saved seed was successful, good germination from saved and left-over seed, try fertilizing next year.
Winter Squashes had a reasonable year, with some borers and critter damage at end of season (use mesh bags to protect), new Delicata attractive (5 from 8 plants), Honeynut plants very productive despite borers (15 from 5 plants), Butternut less productive this year (6 from12 plants), Futsu was interesting (3 from 4 plants).
Yellow Summer Squash both plantings did well, best variety to date for quality, quantity, and longevity; harvested for 7 weeks!
Zucchini both plantings did well (planted in groups in soil saucers) had some vine borer damage, plants nearest corn didn’t do as well (shift them away a little?), harvested for 8 weeks!
Completing the Gardening Season
Our final gardening day of the season was last Saturday, November 18. The weather wasn’t perfect, but it did improve as the morning progressed. We had a presentable harvest (especially for mid-November) and were able to leave the garden in good shape for the winter.
Kale, garlic, and the smaller parsnips remain in the ground, along with the perennial herbs. The kale will continue to grow for another month or so, making it possible for gardeners to browse through the end of the year. The garlic was planted Nov 11 and covered in straw to set roots over the winter, and the smaller parsnips will continue to grow and be an incredibly sweet harvest come spring.
And after years of planning and months of construction, the garden’s new shed is in place. The shed was designed and constructed for the garden, and replaces the free-on-curb plastic storage bench that gallantly served us for more than ten years. It was a wonderful way to end the season!
Harvest – September 17, 2023
For your pleasure, pictured above are: arugula, basil, beans (including the first of the Good Mother Stallard shell beans), bok choy, carrots, celery, collards, cucumbers, dill seed, eggplants, fennel seeds, ground cherries, kales, leeks, lemongrass, lettuce, Malabar spinach, mustard, nasturtium capers, okra, parsnip (the first of the season), peppers, radishes, rutabaga, scallions, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnip, and winter squashes (including the first Black Futsu). Click here for the whole set of photos.
September 12, 2023
Scarlet Runner beans – a Runaway Favorite
At our seed selection meeting in January, Alan suggested growing runner beans on the garden’s entry arbor. Though we’ve grown many types of beans, runners were something new.
Alan chose an heirloom Scarlet Runner that he remembered seeing at Michelle Obama’s Kitchen Garden on the White House grounds in 2012. A section of that garden was dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, with plants grown from seed saved each year since Jefferson’s time at the Monticello gardens.
The seed was sown at the same time as our bush beans in mid-May. Germination was excellent, and by mid-June the plants were scrambling up the trellised sides of the arbor. Flowers and the first snap beans appeared by mid-July, and we had the first dried beans in late August.
The dried bean pods are a boring dead leaf brown, but the beans themselves are positively stunning. Over the course of the season, the vines have nearly covered the arbor, and the prolific flowers are pollinator magnets – including hummingbirds! We also discovered that the flowers have a yummy bean flavor.
It looks like we will be harvesting lots of these beauties before the season ends. And it’s fair to say that the Scarlet Runner beans have been a real highlight of this year’s garden. Well done Alan!
Appreciating the Peas
Every year, we plant our peas on opening day at the garden (weather permitting, the first Saturday in April). So much happens at the garden between the time we plant the peas and their harvest. Yet, the pea harvest ushering in summer on the solstice always feels significant, a moment to stop and appreciate the abundance to come in the season. Peas absolutely deserve celebrating!
You must be logged in to post a comment.