All good things must come to an end and this year ended much later than ever before.
For one reason or another, the weather here in Upstate New York remained relatively mild through the first few weeks of October. The warmer temps kept veggies growing and us smiling.
I'm a fellow that loves routine and I'm going to miss starting my mornings by popping cherry tomatoes into my pie hole. Very few of these juicy marbles ever made their way to the kitchen.
When @farm-mom would ask me what happened to all of the cherry tomatoes, I would remind her of the benefits of lycopene, and simply state that my prostate made me do it.
That always worked, as I knew she wanted me to keep that organ in great shape.
The zinnias thought that the growing season was still in full swing. Despite the cold nights, these hardy flowers were still pumping out colorful bouquets.
The Kohlrabi seemed to be enjoying the cooler temps, but harvesting them before an impending frost was the right move. These were grown from seeds. This was the first time we'd given them a try and we really enjoyed their taste. Kohlrabi can be prepared in so many different ways. Next year we plan on growing a legion of this strange-looking vegetable.
Eggplant flowers were still blooming, but with colder temperatures enveloping the area, we knew that the plant would not set any more fruit.
Talk about out of the ordinary, the zucchini and yellow squash plants were still bearing goodies, how was that possible?
Broccoli flowerets, yummy.
String bean plants are usually one of the first to wither and die, but this has been a strange year. A meal's worth was still hanging from the dying vines. The ones we had left for next year's planting were already dried and ready to be added to our seed bank.
With many of the beds now barren of vegetation, the reality that it was time to start dressing in layers, was a little depressing.
In the bottom right-hand frame of this collage are #Mother #Nature's free tomato braces that we use. When I pulled them, I was surprised to see that one of the branches was sprouting new vegetation.
As one of my favorite #Yankee broadcasters, #PhilRizzuto would say, HOLY COW.
Gardening/Hobbitizing alongside the Love of Your Life, is so very special!
Next year's MAGIC STARTS HERE. For almost a year now we've been cultivating these piles of future veggie nutrients.
Compost, what a great, natural, free, and responsible way to garden.
Recently I enjoyed a post by @riverflows. It's a must-read for all gardeners and a topic every human on this planet should be concerned about, permaculture.
Here's the link to this informative post. Don't hesitate to give it a look, it may be a game-changer!
@riverflows/revering-the-dirt-beneath-our-feet-matthew-evans-soil
This single line from this blog says it all. Isn't it time we stopped treating the ground beneath our feet like dirt!
Some of what has been added to our compost pile has yet to decay, corn husks, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggshells have not been consumed by the bacteria and worms that work their magic.
The leaves in this collage are mostly from the same type of trees that we get the sap from for making maple syrup, Sugar maples. The leaves from these trees are loaded with nutrients that provide exactly what is needed by the beneficial microbes that literally make the soil come alive.
Before collecting these leaves I run the mower over them several times. Doing this chops them into smaller pieces which will decay quicker than if they were left whole.
The lower picture was taken just a week ago, right after I turned the decaying material. As you can see, the pile that once covered the entire area between the logs has already been reduced to 1/4 of its original size.
Being the beet lover that I am, the very last veggie to be uprooted will be a beet.
It's still growing as I finish up this post. 😁
To all of you whose garden now looks like ours, stay warm. To all of you out there whose garden is now keeping you busy as a beaver, don't forget your friends who reside north of the equator.
It's your turn to show us your stuff!
