Dreaming . . . Planning . . . Sometimes Scheming

Anyone who has ever grown a garden knows that while you're harvesting tomatoes in the summer you are already planning your fall garden, or if you don't plant a fall garden, what needs to be done, built, created, dug up, put away, or ordered is always right there at the edge of your consciousness.

Most home gardeners practice some type of intensive gardening.  For a home gardener to plant single rows of any crop means a lot of wasted space, lots of weeding, or mulching, and lots of wasted water and fertilizer.

And if you grow an organic intensive garden it is extremely important that you keep your soil healthy.  Unless you are very wealthy and can afford to buy organic fertilizers/soil amendments you will be a composter.

So as I watch my fall container garden grow I am planning the following projects:

1. Worm composting bin.  
2. Two-section large composting area.
3. Expanding my front and back yard garden space.
4. Removing trees at the perimeter of my yard.
5. Canning and dehydrating.

This is a lot to undertake so I am doing a little at a time as I do all projects these days.  As always, I call upon my big strong sons to do the majority of the heavy lifting, so to speak.  I miss being able to turn a garden bed, or double dig new garden space but I am realistic and preserve my strength for cooking, weeding, and the smaller tasks that require less energy.  My sons know that their reward for supporting my gardening is delicious, homemade food.  They like food!

I finally broke down and ordered some seed catalogs. I have received two so far and have been enjoying soaking them up, finding even more exciting heirloom varieties. You don't read or study a seed catalog; you soak it up. Pure delight!  The only problem is that I want to grow everything and I can't.  I love knowing that I can extend my summer garden with containers.  And that I can grow a fall garden in containers bringing them indoors on nights with a frost warning.

And while my fall garden is thriving on my deck (though it is at risk of drowning right now with the second day of heavy rains upon us), I am still harvesting Suyo Long cucumbers, lots and lots of cherry tomatoes, some plum tomatoes, a handful of slicing tomatoes, and my bell peppers are almost big enough to start harvesting with at least 10-15 more growing on this one plant growing on my deck.  Oh, my jalapeno peppers are almost ready to bloom.  I am determined to have peppers into the cold winter months this year.

So I am dreaming and planning and sometimes scheming right now.

Oh the Sun! Oh the Dirt!

It is a glorious day here in Connecticut. Early, when I arose, it was in the 50's and a bit nippy. But now! Oh, now it is perfect!!!

Last weekend I asked my 19yo and 12yo sons to fill up my new containers with soil and compost. Although they kind of skipped the compost it is what it is at this point and I am not dragging buckets full of compost up to my second story deck.

Soaking wheat berries to sprout

 The boys off to their first day of school this year, a pork roast in the slow cooker for pulled pork sandwiches tonight, wheat berries soaking in one of my really big new Ball jars, a little knitting done while watching a show on Netflix, I decided it was time to pot my fall veggie seedlings.

In the back, the medium-sized black container has my bell pepper plant along with purslane (remember I grow weeds deliberately).

Fall container garden

To the left of that is the larger black container with snow peas, Calabrese broccoli and another bell pepper plant.  The largest green container has bok choi, snow peas, and three jalapeno pepper plants.  The closest square container has four Calabrese broccoli plants.  The small green container has Aichi cabbage.  In the small pots are Calabrese broccoli.  We do love our broccoli.  Still left to plant are the four hanging baskets which will each get one variety of lettuce for baby greens throughout the fall and winter months.  And in the other large square container I will probably plant more Aichi cabbage which didn't germinate well in the flat.

I decided to grow my fall garden on my deck because I didn't want to bother with pests, diseases and deer, and my tomatoes and cukes are still providing lots of yummies every day.

In the lettuce bed I will be planting my seed garlic which should arrive in October.  I plan to put 3 inches of compost in that bed, turn it a couple of times and then just grow lots of garlic.  Lots and lots of garlic.

The bed in the front yard I am thinking about planting a green cover crop.  Still haven't decided if I have the energy.

The kale seeds do not germinate well and are very slow to grow.  I have three seedlings and one larger plant that I am hoping will go to seed so I can save the seeds for next year (and some for my seed saver collection). I will need to research ways to encourage kale seed germination.

Well, that's how this sunny day is being celebrated in Connecticut.