Several weeks ago I pulled the dry beans out and put them in the garage to finish drying. Yesterday and today we shelled and then sorted them. I got seven pounds total as follows:
Cranberry Beans: 1 lb. 15 oz.
Cannellini Beans: 15 oz.
Navy Beans: 2 lb. 12 oz.
Yin and Yang Beans: 2 lb. 5 oz.
They were a lot of work to process, especially considering that, except for the Yin and Yangs, I could buy them in bulk pretty cheap. Next year I'll only plant a row of several kinds of heirloom beans.
Last night we had our first hard freeze of the year. The coleus, sweet potato vines, basil, and dahlias all got zapped. Also the Honey Bush butternut squash that still had three squash on it. I'm going to keep them to see if they'll mature off the vine.
We've put all the patio furniture and winterized the fountain. The birdbath is still going, but soon we'll have to put it away and get out the de-icer.
I think the number of aubergines (two) and peppers (eight) worked out well. I tried a couple of pepper plants in large pots, but I don't think they did as well as those in the ground.
The tomatoes were good, except for the Old German, which was very late and not all that flavorful. I think I'll stick with Cherokee Purple, Stupice, and Sun Gold. The four San Marzanos was a good number. On second thought, plant more San Marzanos to can and make sauce and maybe ketchup?
The Anton zucchini did nicely, with no mildew until the very end. But I'd also like to have a Cube of Butter.
I thought by planting beets late in the summer I could foil the leaf miners, but that hasn't happened. Their leaves are still being destroyed. So NO MORE BEETS!
The melons were a great disappointment. We had a couple of early ones, but then the others just shrivelled and died, leaving tasteless fruit. So NO MORE MELONS!
I'd like to have more lettuce going into winter. I think planting them by the first of August might be about right.
The cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower did well. The broccoli has held well, but the cauliflower got over ripe and got brown and soggy. I just didn't harvest them soon enough. So next year, keep checking them in the fall and harvest them when they're ready. Four cabbages would be enough. And I still haven't used any of the Chinese cabbage. Next year try some Brussels sprouts.
The cover on the fall spinach and chard worked pretty well. It kept most leaf miners out. But keep it covered over winter. This year the birds got into them and really destroyed them.
Try carrots in wide rows next year to get a bigger harvest.
Two nights ago we had our first frost, although the temperature only got down to 36. But with the colder temperatures coming, I pulled out most of the summer vegetable garden.
I sliced and froze all the bell peppers, except for four, which I'll stuff for a couple of dinners. The zucchini had a few small fruits on it, so we'll have those soon. I have several jars of shredded zucchini in the freezer for zucchini bread. I have several aubergines, which I'll probably make into more ratatouille.
When a substantial rain storm was predicted a couple of weeks ago, I picked all the tomatoes, mostly San Marzanos, which had any color on them. I put them in the guest room to ripen. I now have enough tomato soup for nine lunches, plus two trays of roasted tomatoes, with garlic, basil, and olive oil. I'm planning to use them on pizza, or maybe as a pasta topping. I had also canned 26 pints of cut up tomatoes.
We still have lots of things in the garden for winter. I have a row of kohlrabi, a row of beets, a row of chard, and two rows of spinach. One bed has cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, several plants of each. I have about twenty bok choy plants, plus a few short rows of mache, arugula, and Ethiopian kale. And I have a row of turnips and rutabagas. There is still some lettuce, but I don't expect that to last much longer. I planted a few snap peas at the end of the strawberry bed. They probably won't produce anything until next spring. And of course, there are still several rows of carrots.
I got just four delicata squash, which was a bit disappointing. Next year I'll grow a vining one instead of the bush variety. I also have three small 'Honey Nut' squash, which may or may not make it. They're still not ready to pick. Again, next year I'll do a full size butternut vine.
