Greetings from a September garden!
Hello gardening friends! I wanted to send you a few words of encouragement on this beautiful September evening.
The garden is still going strong over here. Lots to harvest, lots to still grow and ripen, and lots of bugs to fight off! I will give you a short summary of what I’m currently loving in the garden, what is a challenge in the garden, and what is a “maybe” for next year.
First, there are SO, SO, SO many things I am loving in the garden this year! It’s hard to know where to start! Here are a few, in no particular order:
Marjoram
Swiss chard
All kinds of yellow tomatoes! We grew Champagne Bubble cherry tomatoes, Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes, Jubilee. We have loved all of them, mostly because of their phenomenal flavor and lower acidity.
Figs! I need to write a whole blog about figs. Soon!
Greek oregano.
Red lettuce.
Cilantro, of course.
Celery. Having organic celery at my finger tips has been amazing!
Basil. I planted way too much basil. You may think I’m kidding, but I’m not. It’s coming out of our ears! But it allowed for lots and lots of pesto. So that’s a win.
I LOVE my fig tree!!
It popped out of the ground around May and has grown about 8 feet this season. We are finally enjoying the fresh figs!
Here are a few things that have been a challenge lately.
My kale has fallen prey to lots of pests. It was a great crop in the spring, but not so much this fall.
Blue Scotch Kale from the spring season.
The flavor and texture were great. The bugs discovered them and had a feast. If this happens to you, then know that you’re growing really good food!
Beets show up on our favorite veggies list. I love them, our kids love them, and my husband is… slowly “learning to love them.” :) The germination rate for my beets hasn’t been as successful this fall, so there are not as many as I would like. The 100+ temps we had in August probably didn’t help. Next fall, I will plant more varieties and see which ones perform better when planted in August.
Do you have crops that you tried and are not sure you’ll bring back? Here is my “maybe” list for next year:
Eggplants are beautiful and lush… but they take a lot of room in my garden and my family doesn’t love them. I still sneak them in my cooking, but I’d rather grow other things in my space.
Ginger. Pictured on the left. I had a few ginger roots (AKA rhizome) about to rot in my pantry… so I stuck them in the ground. It made for a beautiful, tropical-looking plant! But I use fresh ginger maybe…three times a year. I have a sweet Canadian friend who eats it fresh, on a daily basis. (Ah, it makes me miss her!) Either I need to enlarge my ginger horizon and recipe repertoire, or just not grow it again.
Artichokes. It was a fun experiment. I learned a few things. :) That’s that. :)
Peanuts! I planted those for fun and for my kids. It is a beautiful plant with pretty yellow flowers. They are still currently in the ground, so we will see how we like the harvest.
Lemon basil. It grew beautifully. I think the bees liked it more than we did. So it’s still a win, but not sure I’ll grow it again.
What have you enjoyed growing this year?!? I would love to hear about your favorites!
Growing our gardening skills is a journey! Let’s keep learning.