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)

Last Year's October Garden (2020)

Through the Garden Gate