Garden Report - Winding Down

After a cool spring, cooler and wet summer Mother Nature hit us with a cooler start to the fall. I had hoped for a bit of nicer weather but it wasn't to be. The vegetable beds have been a bit neglected mainly because of the rain. We've already had our first hard frost too. Yesterday I spent a bit of time in the garden. It was one of the very rare days where the sun was actually out!

Tomatoes

To the left the herb garden continues to do well. The Italian parsley has taken up it's square foot and then some. The plant is huge so it will be moved to another location in the spring. The Nasturtiums also became extremely large plants so I will have to find a more appropriate location for them in the spring.

Bed#1 is essentially done although there are a couple of hardy pepper plants I might bring indoors. The hard frost killed just about everything in the bed. I was pleasantly surprised to see a little Chinese mustard still going.

What I really missed not growing in this year's garden was zucchini. I also missed Kentucky Wonder beans and some of the herbs I didn't plant this year. I'm a bit disappointed in that I don't think my rhubarb survived and I didn't get the everbearing strawberries in the ground. They are happily growing indoors for the winter. So next year's garden is destined to be bigger and better!

Eggplant

Growing eggplant was a first for me this year. The plants went in late but I wanted to see how eggplants grow. Unfortunately the frost killed off the plants so imagine my surprise when I discovered one small eggplant about 6-inches long! It was still attached to the plant but laying on the ground where slugs could get at it so even though it looks pretty on this side it wasn't edible. Eggplant is definitely on my list of things to grow next year!

From my garden observations this year I am going to be dealing with more slug issues likely a direct result of putting vegetable beds over an area that was overgrown. There was obviously a healthy slug population already present. I manually remove slugs as I find them but will add copper tape to the raised beds in the spring to give better control. I'm also concerned over the tomato hornworm as I know they overwinter in the soil. This was my first year dealing with a larger infestation of them. They can be quite devastating in a short period of time so that is something I will be on the look-out for in the spring. Normally I don't turn the raised beds as part of winterizing but I think that might be a good way to curb the tomato hornworm so am planning on doing that this week as well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Saving Seeds

During the home garden harvest most home gardeners save seeds for the following year's garden.  When saving seeds it is important to collect from heirloom plants rather than hybrids.  You can collect seeds from hybrids but they often will not breed true.  Seeds from herbs and flowering plants are best collect after the dew has dried on a clear, dry day.  Do not collect seeds from any plants that show signs of disease.  Collect in such a manner as to keep the seed types separate.  Once collected any plant material such as stems should be removed then the seeds left in open air for at least 24 to 72 hours.  This will ensure there is no moisture.  Place the dry seeds in an airtight container.  Label and store in a cool, dark location.

Some seeds require special preparations for storage.  Beans and peas should be shelled then left to dry fully before storing.  Tomato seeds are encased in a thick pulp.  Remove the seeds with pulp and place in a small bowl.  Cover with water.  Set in a warm location out of direct sunlight.  Skim off anything floating daily.  Let sit for 3 to 4 days.  Pour through a strainer and rinse the seeds well.  Dry the seeds on wax or parchment paper.  Don't dry them on paper towels as the paper will stick to the seeds.  Once dry place in an airtight container for storage.  Store in a cool, dark location.  

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Garden Report

The weather has turned quite cool here with frost threatening although I doubt we will see frost for a few days yet. The garden is winding down. Late blight has affected most of the tomato vines but not before I could get some nice clippings for growing indoors. It did affect some of the green tomatoes as well. We also had 3 days of heavy rain so a lot of tomato splitting. Yesterday I did as clean of a pick as possible of the tomatoes and peppers. I brought in a few pots of plants as well. I'll be harvesting the herbs for drying shortly so other than that there isn't a lot going on in the garden right now.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009