Sunday, October 31, 2021

October's Garden (2021)

October has been a busy month and I am exhausted.  The early killing frosts did not arrive, for which I am thankful so we have been able to harvest all of the summer crops. The sweet potatoes planted in the discarded empty horse grain buckets were dug a week ago.  Cool nights have caused the leaves to change colors although those still in the ground did not turn. 

Bill dug the sweet potatoes while Dustin started putting up the hoop houses.  


The total harvested weight for all four pots was fourteen pounds.  The spent soil was dumped on the top of the compost pile to help with decomposition.  


More sweet potatoes were planted beside the corral fence and beneath vining green beans.  The combination worked great. It was a good use of empty space below the fence plus the potatoes kept the weeds under control.  Being shaded by the beans didn't bother the potatoes since some of them climbed the fence and got more sunlight.  Both die at the first frost so harvesting at the same time worked perfectly.


Today we picked the last of the beans and Scooter helped us dig the potatoes, hence the dirt on his nose and chin. 


The potatoes in the soil produced 23 pounds and were quite a bit bigger than those in the pots.  However, the ones in the pots were much easier to dig. The difference is probably the better soil as opposed to being grown in only manure and sawdust.  I will try this again next year but will put good soil and fertilizer into the pots.  That will be a more equal test.


As of now, the winter garden is planted but the hoop houses aren't all up.  The potato-then-squash-now-cabbage patch was the last to be planted due to the fire ants.  I harvested the squash early so I could stir the ant mounds to try and run them off.  One mound did move to the pepper patch, which wasn't an improvement but the other two stayed. I'm doing experiments with non-toxic home remedies to see if anything will get rid of them.


In the first section beside the yard, all of the basil and peppers have been harvested. Later, I will share the results when all have been processed. (That is code for - they are still sitting in piles on my kitchen floor.)  We have asked for more trailer loads of horse manure since the horse trainer has 30 horses at his barn. He is very willing to share.  It will be piled in this area before being spread on the rest of the garden. I learned my lesson this year. Plenty of time must be allowed so it can decompose before being used in the garden.  I have pushed my soil hard this season and it needs to be heavily amended if I want these abundant harvests to continue.


These two rows were the tomatoes this summer and now they hold a mixture of transplants from other areas.  Anything without a home was stuck here - no labels, no plans just giving seedlings a chance to live. 


This next row previously held the early corn and the aggressive squash that spread down the fence.  Below the fence, a mixture of winter radish seeds were dropped between the corn roots after the stalks were chopped down.  Most are almost decomposed now so the radishes have room to spread.  They will be harvested by February.  


The row to the left of the fence but on the right side of this picture held the late corn that the mystery midnight monster devoured.  Seeds from the bag of saved assorted unknowns were broadcast between the corn roots. The varieties that sprout seem to be changing year to year according to what has cross-pollinated. All is good. I love surprises. The row below on the left was the melon patch. The celery planted in the early spring survived the spreading vines and is thriving.


Below, the row on the right held the purple hull peas. The row on the left received transplants later because I gave the Dixie Butter Peas as long as possible to mature - they didn't make it.  


The very last row on the left was planted last because I was waiting on the green beans in this spot to produce as much as possible. I thought they were a bush variety but ended up being a vining type.  It was a big tangled mess but at least there was a decent harvest. The transplants are still small but everything else was this size a few weeks ago.  It is amazing how fast these winter varieties grow.


The corral fence in the back toward the woods that held the late tomatoes is pitiful. They produce a spindly tomato every few days.  Better something than nothing.


This row in the back is one I'm excited about. It is the same mix of different varieties of broccoli that were planted in the spring. We didn't get much because the heat got to them.  It will be interesting to see if any do better now. Underneath is Landis Winter Lettuce which is supposed to spread up to twelve inches across and be hardy enough to live through my cold weather.


This is an example of the way I transitioned from summer to winter vegetables. This bed holds white Tokinashi and red Hida Beni Japanese turnips. They both grow from seed to maturity in 40 - 50 days and work perfectly in empty spots.  


They have a mild turnip flavor. The largest ones were picked to be cooked in a beef stew and the leaves were used in southern turnip greens. 


A week later, the rest of the leaves were harvested for meals, weeds were removed and seedlings were transplanted into the empty spots.  The smaller bulbs were left to mature and should be large enough soon.  They are seeds I have saved so it seems their colors have crossed. Whatever.


The back of the garden is going to lie fallow this winter.  We plan on piling more of the horse manure here.


The magnificent but unproductive Lima beans look beautiful.  Too bad they were put out too late to do anything. It has not been a good year for beans. I haven't gotten enough to save for winter. Lesson learned.  If I can't get them out early enough, plant something else.


The bitter melon is still alive even though we have had about six nights where the temperature dropped down to the mid-'40s.  


The Python Snake Bean is also still alive but its leaves have begun to turn colors.  All of the smaller beans have been picked and either eaten fresh in salads or frozen for later use. When the long beans touch the ground, they rot so I had to tie them up.  Looks crazy.  I have left some on the vine to see how frost affects them and then I will share all I have learned.


Reese gave me some cannas a few years ago and they are planted in the flower bed out front. Some way, a seed mysteriously migrated to the potato patch, sprouted, and was missed being weeded after we bolted from being attacked by fire ants.  It has bloomed this week. I have missed working in my flowers this year but the food has taken precedence. Finding nutritious food that has not been shipped a thousand miles, sprayed with toxic chemicals, stuffed with fillers, GMO altered, and void of any vitamins is difficult. Lately, the fresh foods for sale in my local stores are beginning to look anemic. My vegetable garden has become a necessity, not my hobby.


I have learned much this year planting new vegetables, trying different varieties, and experimenting with alternative growing methods.  Failing has not been a problem since my local stores are still mostly stocked. However, prices are rising quickly in my area and the empty spots on the store shelves are expanding. The supply chain continues to break apart and it doesn't look good.  We are having difficulty locating many of the products we need. Perhaps it is because we are out in the country and at the end of the supply line that everything is looking worrisome. Maybe this storm will blow over and life will return to normal - but what if doesn't?  What if the worst is yet to come? I sense we have a difficult time ahead.  America is falling apart.  I can't do much to stop the trainwreck but at least I can feed my family and help some friends - that is my priority.

"And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day's pay. And don't waste the oil and wine." Revelation 6:6, NLT.

Last Month's September Garden (2021)

17 comments:

  1. Oh, you have been busy! And you have some great helpers. We've been lucky to not have frost yet either, although others in the area...in lower-lying areas...have. This week my garden will go dormant, too. Sweet potatoes: yum! We got quite a few from our food share. I like to make sweet potato fries. :)

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    1. I spread the potatoes on the front porch this morning so they can cure since I need them to be able to store for a while. Bill was wanting one for dinner last night but we were so tired from digging them up that neither of us had the energy to wash two. (Dustin had to work so we had no help) It was a can of soup night, a hot bath and then crawling into bed.

      I feel like the garden is finally finished and ready for winter...sweet potato fries for dinner tonight sounds good. Mmmm

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    2. I have loved mentally gardening through your monthly updates -- and was particularly interested to see what the grown-in-buckets sweet potatoes would do, versus the in-ground ones. (Honestly, I thought they'd do better than they did. The bucket ones, that is.) We didn't stay in one place long enough to really grow things well. Even our Colorado flower garden had to deal with little moisture and lots of sun...I had maybe a 25% grow rate there, for what I put in and/or transplanted.
      Ah well. Better luck next year.
      You did make an intriguing statement: that you were deliberately focusing on food, rather than flowers. Why? Economic climate? Your own gut feeling that Something Was Coming? I obviously missed the reason(s)...

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    3. I think the sweet potatoes in the buckets were stunted because they only had manure and wood chips from the horse trainer's trailer. It was easier than digging up dirt from the garden in the brutal heat. I have more buckets and will try more things next year. Stay tuned for more adventures!

      I deliberately focused on food because I know something is very wrong with our food supply here in the US. I wanted to learn all I could to be able to grow as much of our food as possible. Bill and I both have serious health issues and need food that is not full of chemicals, fillers, sprayed with pesticides, GMO toxic or out right poisoned. We can't find that and our bodies have suffered. The truth is that I was too sick for five months to even walk to my flowers in the front yard. I was unable to get the vitamin supplements that had previously healed my problems. The manufacturer was dissolved and another company bought it out...long story. I am better now which is why I have the strength to blog. Thank you for the questions. I will go back and rewrite the post to clarify.
      As for the food supply check out this guy before he gets banned on Youtube: Ice Age Farmer

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  2. That garden is looking amazing. A lot certainly has changed between one month and the next. I can't wait to see it the next time I come home. The color on that Canna Lily really is vibrant, I bet it is more intense in person. Should I bring some poinsettias home in a few months? I've got some 300K of them in my section alone and they are going to start shipping out next week. Last call. I've got red, white, pink, peach, blotch, and cinnamon. Seriously though, I bet with how much you guys have planted you are going to be tired of salads soon enough.

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    1. Yes, do bring a poinsettia home when you come for Nana - something bright so she can see it. She loved the other one you previously gave her and managed to keep it alive during lockdown. Although, just having one leaf on the side many not count as alive but it cheered her. As for me, no matter how tired I get of eating salads, I don't plan on eating any poinsettias since they are poisonous. You probably won't have room in the cab of your truck to hold the poinsettias unless you are renting a U-Haul van and coming home to stay. If you are willing to water, fertilize and spray said poinsettias, then do bring all you can fit in the U-Haul (pay for them and don't slip them out in your lunchbox).

      As for all the food we planted, you know how food disappears around here. Also, we REALLY missed you yesterday when we (Dad) dug the potatoes. We are both still sore.

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    2. I just read your comment to your dad. He said to get our poinsettias out of the throw-away compost pile for free. You know how cheap we are.

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  3. I'm not surprised you are exhausted after all that week! That is an amazing crop of sweet potatoes, we have started eating them much more frequently I should have another attempt of growing them! That's frightening that the choice of vegetables in the shops are not as wholesome as yours. Sarah x

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    1. Sarah, everything is falling apart over here. All of our supplies are sitting on barges out in the ocean, nothing can get transported or delivered. If anything breaks down, there are no repair parts, the vegetables look wilted and old, the shelves look full until you look behind the first few products and the back is empty. Stores are spreading products out sideways on the shelves to make it look like they are stocked when they aren't. Some locations are doing better than others. It is getting worse, not better.

      I recommend growing sweet potatoes again. Somethings have taken me three attempts before learning what to do to get a harvest. Tonight I plan on baking my first one for supper. There will be nothing else on the menu. Lots and lots of sweet potatoes! If anyone complains, they can cook dinner tomorrow night.

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  4. Your garden and sweet potatoes are impressive! Our first frost is late too, but it looks like we may get one tomorrow night. How wonderful to have that supply of horse manure. I'll be interested on your report on the snake beans. I agree that growing a garden is wise, and especially during these times.

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    1. Our frost is supposed to be tonight and I'm sitting here wishing I had collected more of my herbs. I never seem to get everything done that needs to be done.

      I'm looking forward to seeing how the snake beans handle tonight's frost.

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  5. Your garden is amazing and the sweet potatoes look great. I like the vivid colours of the flowers in your garden.

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  6. Having seen your impressive photos of the great variety of vegetables, I guess that this was your best
    garden year ever.And despite the fact that you were sick for a longer time this is amazing. So good that
    your family could help you.I am also quite sure that the horse manure has greatly improved your garden soil
    and will make it even better in the comimg years.
    When there are herbs left in the garden, could you just cut them and place on a sieve or hang them to
    dry? Or freeze them.
    Anyway,your valuable garden products cannot be weighed with money.
    So now it would be time to rest for a while and treat yourself with something special.
    Christel

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    1. I do have to say it was the best garden year ever. The horse manure has made a huge difference. In the area that previously held the perennial Egyptian Walking Onions, not much manure was applied. The onions were growing constantly so it missed an application. The difference became noticeable when I tried to plant the winter vegetables, the ground was like a rock. I had not realized how much the soil had improved.

      I managed to cut the basil plants down the afternoon before the first hard frost and put them in a cup a water. It held them until I was able to make pesto. I wish I had put out more plants since the harvest was not as big as I wanted. The other herbs are all perennials. I didn't plant as many annual herbs as I wanted this year. Oh well, there is always next year but first, I do need to rest and treat myself with something special.

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  7. I love seeing garden tours! Thank you for the lovely pictures and overview.

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  8. We have used the indoor ant traps outside by just sitting them on the mound and they have done very well and rain doesn't even seem to effect them. But, we don't have fire ants here.....yet.

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    1. Fire ants seem to be a different demon. The traps I bought said (in tiny print at the bottom) they were not for fire ants. I tried it any way (desperation) and they crawled around and avoided it. They are not attracted to sweetness like other ants. Non-stinging ants in the yard don't bother me as long as they stay outside. It is the ones that bite that drive me crazy. They hurt!

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