October's Garden (2023)

 October 30th

We had our first one-night frost in the middle of the month but nothing suffered. The weather returned to being hot and the drought continued.

October 14th

October 14th

The summer vegetables were able to manage with sprinklers and irrigation. The sweet potatoes loved the weather. They grew huge and none cracked since it was so dry. This year I planted fewer but harvested more.

Some of them were the largest I have ever seen!

I am changing my mind again about staggering the planting times for tomatoes. Originally, I said it was a success, but now I think it wasn't a good idea. The tomatoes went dormant from lack of water while covered in fruit. They stopped ripening and most were still green at the end of the month.

The romas produced a second crop but were the only variety that ripened. The leaves were removed on some because I was told it hastened ripening but discovered it didn't make a difference. These will be grown again next year but I will return to planting everything early. Some will be started later to provide a few for fresh eating but two of my rows never matured due to the stress of drought. It is better to be swamped with tomatoes all at once than to not have them at all. 

I'm going to try green tomato recipes to see if there is something we might like.  The rest will be allowed to ripen in the basement but the flavor is never as good.

Yesterday we harvested a massive amount of late summer vegetables, removed the spent plants, and began putting up the hoop houses. The summer garden was a smashing success due to the abundance of well water.

The winter garden is very far behind schedule. The lack of any rain for ten weeks killed most of the tender cold weather seedlings because the hot dry wind was too brutal. I continued to plant more and more seeds in every empty spot but the chances of them surviving are slim. It was worth a shot. This seems to be our new weather pattern. Next year I need to figure out how to be better prepared for this dry spell.

To thank Dustin for helping us get the hoop houses up, I gave him all the food in my refrigerator and the honor of harvesting my prized Georgia Candy Roaster squash. (He doesn't look ecstatic because gardening isn't his thing but his attitude will change when he tastes it roasted with butter and cinnamon.) It was left on the vine until the very last moment to fully ripen. No chances were taken with this treasure.

The summer garden is over and I am glad. It filled my pantry and we are ready for the cold. The winter garden may or may not survive but that is out of my hands. I did all I could up against a drought so I shrug, fix myself a cup of hot tea, relax on the couch, and listen to the desperately needed rain finally begin to fall. I'm done.

Last Month's September Garden (2023)

Last Year's October Garden (2023)

Through the Garden Gate