We are in the middle of autumn but it still feels like summer has barely ended. In fact, next week is forecasted to be in the 80s again. I’ve replaced my herb bed with leafy greens–arugala, kale, lettuce mesclun, bok choy, mini napa cabbage, gai lan, and spinach. It feels like there are never enough leafy greens–especially in a stir fry, where the greens soften and shrink into a mound a quarter of their raw size.
I’ve been itching to clear out the Black Beauty zucchini and pumpkin elevated garden beds, but had been holding off since they were still producing. I noticed this week that the little zucchini fruits have been the same size since two weeks ago. The zucchinis had slowed down since the temperatures dropped, and possibly due to age and powdery mildew.
With Baby Daniel nestled against me in his carrier, I went in and took down the zucchini plants. The main stems were too thick to cut through with my pruners, so I used my gloved hand to rip them out, but left the roots in the soil (no till method). I sprinkled a layer of mushroom compost over it.
As I moved to grab the potting soil to go on top, Baby Daniel squirmed in his carrier and cried. I dropped the bag of soil and hopped back inside the house. and plan to finish amending the soil in the empty zucchini bed tomorrow.
The tiniest baby pumpkins, the size of cherries, are still growing on the Jack Be Little vine, so I will hold off on it. Perhaps I will harvest them, as they are, this Thursday—before Friendsgiving weekend—and use them as decor, party favors, or little gifts to my friends.
I spent the evening plotting out what things I could grow in the formerly zucchini bed. I’m stuck between bush peas or bushy tomato plants. Sometimes the anticipation of planting something new is almost as good as the harvest.
Other reports from the garden:
- Black Beauty Eggplant, Gen. 2 (grown from Annie’s eggplant) – I planted this on July 2nd and it has been a real tease. So many flowers. No fruit. And now it’s turning yellow, in spite of added fertilizer. This eggplant may die a virgin. I’m not sure why it has not pollinated. Maybe it’s unhappy in its 14″ pot (5 gallons). Or maybe it was not a fan of the multiple heat waves we suffered this summer and fall.
- Rainbow cherry mix tomato (chocolate cherry) – She’d been done for a while but I had kept her around since she was still slowly fruiting the occasional tomato. But at this point keeping her around prevents me from starting my fall/winter garden. So I harvested three still-green tomatoes and took her down.
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