With a title like this you can be sure there is no tomato in this story!
My fall garden is actually a success story about my carryovers from the summer. I have been and continue to be happy with nearly all of my peppers, cucumbers, green beans and okra (which i like growing more than I like eating). I am also happy that one of my two artichoke plants has decided that it is time for it to revive from dormancy. The other has shown not indication of life and is likely done.
Both artichokes were planted early summer at the beginning of my gardening adventure and though they produce foliage, neither produce fruit. I was told that I could expect two seasons, that they would survive the winter and revive in the spring… I am not sure what to expect since this isn’t spring yet!
Every plant listed above is allows me to harvest at least a few times a week; the okra is a daily harvest.
The only fall crop that I have that is not a carryover are the tomatoes and the broccoli from Kathy, both of which appear healthy and hopeful for Thanksgiving.
Since the cooler weather I’ve not had any trouble with any worms or other critters… rejoice!
Sounds like you are already prepared for winter. Do we have a fall in Tucson? Happy to hear things are pretty uneventful on your side of town. My side is hopping with critters…birds and mice…(and Itty, of course). The artichoke I planted out in the middle of the yard where some landscape plant had died, is larger than when I bought him, but not thriving. In fact, he’s starting to wilt….he sits on top of a slab of caliche just 6-8″ down so that may be the problem, I don’t know for sure.
I’ve caught 3 mice in and around my beans, and yet I harvested 4 beans today….maybe I’ll get some after all. The woodpeckers are especially destructive to my bell peppers and kale. I lost all 20 kale plants, about a month old….that was sad, and lost 10 bells. Luckily, the bell peppers are still producing, so I do have to lift the bird netting to care for them, I’m ok with that.
The carrots I planted the first of October are just coming up and are under a pile of chicken wire…so are the beets I planted a couple of weeks ago.
I read an article that said to spray with coffee to protect from caterpillars, so thinking I had nothing to lose, I sprayed the mint, which is pretty infested with loopers. It’s been 2 days, and although the smell of mint & coffee is invigorating early in the morning, I haven’t seen any proof that this has any merit…..yet.
But….the broccoli, is so happy, and growing well. At last, something I can just watch grow. And the tomatoes are “vigorously” vining, but producing, so that, too, is pleasantly occuping my free time.
The hairy vetch, sprouted, and got eaten as soon as it was spotted. I didn’t cover it or protect it at all since it was a cover crop. I’m wondering if I got any benefit from the roots. Something to ponder in my dreams.