Gloriosa

Today I turned over the pot that had the two gloriosa lilies in them.  I was happy to find a double bulb in each one.  They broke in half, so next year I should have four plants.  I've put them in the garage for now to dry. 

I also dug up two sweet potato vines.  The tubers aren't very impressive, but I'll try to plant them next spring and see how they do.

The two mandarins look like they are starting to turn orange.  They have a slight yellow tinge.

As for the winter crops, the broccoli and cabbage are doing well.  There are some small heads coming on the broccoli, and the cabbage is ready to cut any time.  The kale could be bigger.  One harvest will pretty much finish them off.  The spinach is still tiny, so next year I need to plant it about a month earlier.  And the last planting of carrots is very small.  Maybe they'll grow in the spring.  The ones I planted on August 15 are a bit small, but useable.

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Aftermath

Here is what the 'wintry mix' delivered.

This is before and after of the liquidambers next door.  Many broken limbs

First Freeze

Last night we had our first freeze.  In anticipation I had brought in my three big succulent plants.  They will live in the dining room for the winter.

I've cut the asparagus to the ground.  As soon as we get a decent day, I will cover it with steer manure.

The forecast for tonight and tomorrow calls for a 'wintry mix.'  Woohoo!

Brassica Spacing

Now that all the winter brassicas are pretty much full size, I've gone out and measured them to determine the ideal spacing for next year.


The 'Hallmark' broccoli is huge, needing 36" spacing.  The cauliflower could also use 36" spacing.

The cabbage should do fine with 24" spacing.  Here they are overwhelmed by the broccoli.

The sprouting broccoli is not quite as wide as the 'Hallmark.'  They could be happy with 30" spacing.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is not to plant them close to the edge of the bed.  Some of the aisles are so narrow that it is almost impossible to get through them with huge plants hanging over.

Cauliflower!!

Today I picked my first cauliflower.  It was one of the 'Snow Crowns.'  Because the bed is planted so densely, and the sun is on the south side, while this plant is on the north, I didn't have to bother to cover it to blanch it.  It was delicious.

More Cleanup

With the rain and cooler weather, the tomatoes were looking sad, so I've pulled them out.  I also pulled the peppers and aubergines.  And the old strawberry bed has also been cleaned out.  I dug in a bag of dry leaves in each one.  Those are the only beds that are empty right now.

The Beckyberries were already becoming too dense, so I trimmed all side shoots up to the where they were tied to the wires.  At some point I'll have to let a few new shoots develop.

We decided that we were not really enjoying the various blackberries out in front, so those have been removed.  The raspberries are still there.

The spinach that I planted a week ago is up.  I hope it has time to grow before it gets really cold.

Garlic Time

Today I planted a row of garlic, after fertilizing the whole bed.  Later there will also be onions and leeks.

I've also planted some Olympia spinach in the old green bean bed.  It's pretty late, but with the weather still being warm (83 today!) I decided to give it a try.

The stink bugs are out in force again.  I've mentioned them to several other gardeners, and I'm beginning to think that they have been drawn to my vegetables.