Fall Garden

My fall deck garden is thriving but I have had to fight for my plants.  The bugs, caterpillars, even wasps and spiders all tried to own it.  I picked a lot of little caterpillars off of my cabbage and broccoli plants.  Strangely enough, nothing is touching the spinach.  That might be a hint for the future.

Here are progression shots:

August 30, 2012

September 8, 2012

October 3, 2012

We have eaten many of the dwarf bok choy already but have not harvested any of the other crops yet.  Spinach and lettuce will be the first by the looks of it.

Spinach (left) and Dwarf Bok Choy (right)

Red Salad Bowl Lettuce

I am thrilled to see the snow peas growing like weeds, blossoming and already growing snow peas.

Heirloom snow peas growing on deck in containers

The largest container of broccoli plants is exceeding my expectations.  I watch anxiously for the first sign of our favorite fall veggie.

Broccoli growing over the edge of its large container

The Aichi Chinese cabbage have been a huge fight and I'm not sure I'm winning.  First aphids then one kind of caterpillar and then another.  It is cool but not cold and the insects are taking full advantage of the mild weather.  I have at least 25-30 seedlings to replace these but they are under attack as well.  I spray with a peppermint oil spray I made.  It kills most of the aphids but not the caterpillars.

Aichi Chinese Cabbage

Red cabbage are beginning to form heads.  I hope I get at least three tiny heads of red cabbage before it freezes.

Red cabbage

Finally, I continue to harvest tomatoes: cherry and San Marzano, and the occasional Moskovich.  Next year I will definitely plant some late tomatoes.  I was told that they taste better than any of the early varieties.

Tomato bed that spread out on both sides

The cucumbers are barely growing, tiny and stunted.  Even the two that I left on the vine that were over 16" long aren't ripening well for seed harvest.  I am hoping I get enough seeds to share and plant next year.  I will definitely ripen cukes on the vine earlier next year.

How is your fall garden growing?

Deck Garden - Finishing Up

Overnight, my deck garden recovered from the trauma of transplanting and perked up greeting the strong morning sun. I just had to capture this beginning.

I love to look back at where my garden started, the bare dirt, the tiny plants, the hope of something delicious and nutritious. 

Yesterday I got a great start on putting my fall deck garden together, moving this plant from the big container to its own container, giving all of the plants more room to grow.

Today with the early fall sunshine encouraging my little plants to do something grand, it just created a sense of excitement. 

I had already walked around my gardens in the front yard and back.  I had already plucked numerous cherry tomatoes that tasted like pure delight into my mouth (must get my Vitamin C, right?).  I had picked the last of the Cosse Violette bean pods from the front garden that had dried up and removed the beans to preserve for seed.  I had already picked at least 15 pounds of pears.  I had already watered my garage container garden noticing that the snow pea plants were about 6-8 inches already and reaching through the last of the bean plants in that container.  The pods on those plants still being quite purple I must leave the plants in place.

A nice surprise is how quickly the Dwarf Bok Choi grows.  My plants are only a couple of weeks along and they are already getting some thickness to the stalks.  I can see planting these many times throughout the fall and winter bringing them into the house at night.

After planting red leaf lettuce, spinach and Aichi cabbage seeds in hanging baskets, I took some pictures to share.  Enjoy!

Calabrese broccoli and bok choi (center)

Aichi cabbage

Dwarf  Bok Choi

 

 

Snow peas, bok choi and jalapeno peppers

Red cabbage

Red leaf lettuce, spinach and Aichi cabbage seeds sown