On Monday evening the temperatures dropped below freezing so I went out to the garden and harvested the last of the potatoes and squash. I also pulled up the remaining beets, green beans, peppers and the four onions that were left.
We still have two rows of parsnips and a handful of carrots growing in the kitchen garden, but that’s it.
Next up on the gardening agenda is to get the daffodils and garlic planted and to have the HH till the lasagna garden and add 10 yards of manure to it so the garden can rest over the winter and be ready to go in the spring.
Remember the fingerling potato starts I tossed into grow bags back in May? Well I finally got around to harvesting them.
At first it didn’t look promising.
But after I sifted through the soil I found a few more fingerlings and decided that for the amount of growing space they had to grow in {and the fact that I didn’t water them much} I did alright.
The two grow bags I planted yielded just over 6.5 pounds so while not a lot, at least it was something. 4 or 5 sides to any main meal.
Next year maybe I’ll try growing tomatoes in the grow bags and see how those do.
I think what I’m most looking forward to though this fall though, is pie. This year I’ll be baking apple pies, pumpkin pies, Long Island cheese pies, hubbard squash pies and thanks to The Duck Lady, I’m even going to try an Autumn Frost pie.
The Final Harvest in Gardening in Coastal Maine Zone 6a
Technically the autumn frost variety is more like butternut squash, so I think it will be fun to see if it tastes any different than a traditional pumpkin pie.
Pie. It will be on the menu this fall. Over and over again. 🙂
And I couldn’t be any happier about that.
So what’s the garden situation like at YOUR place these days? Have you packed everything in for the season? Are you ready for a break from gardening?
Have a good one,
~Mavis
Rosemary Calhoun says
Hubby bought plants for the fall garden (in the greenhouse) – cabbage, kale and romaine lettuce. He is doctoring up the soil in the greenhouse – hopefully he will have better luck than I did. Time will tell!
In the spring, I hope to have raised planters (waist high on legs – no bending down) to use outside the greenhouse. Hubby said he will build it for me . . . time will tell about that as well! 🙂
Elle says
Our local organic nursery owner grows her own tomatoes in grow bags every year. She swears by it. Fresh perfect soil every year.
I gave tomato plants a serious haircut 3 weeks ago so that any already fruited could ripen. I am hopeful!? No frost on the 10d forecast and to date, I’ve picked less than 15# of fruit from 26 plants. I have 9 pints of stewed tomatoes canned and 6 quarts of ratatouille. Nowhere near enough to get to next August!
Eggplants? zip. Brussel sprouts still the size of peas. Assorted peppers-only a handful.
Sigh…..just too dang much heat here in the Idaho desert this year.
Joely says
I still have carrots, turnips, kale, lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos in the garden. We haven’t had a frost predicted yet. Inside I started savory, parsley, frisee, leaf lettuce and kale in an aerogarden. I harvested, pureed and froze the rest of my purple basil. Lastly, I have started sprouting mixed bean seeds and alfalfa on my counter to keep quick crops coming as the weather gets colder.
Mavis Butterfield says
We don’t have an aerogarden but I’m thinking about growning lettuce indoors this winter in the basement.
Susan H. says
I had 2 potatoes that had sprouted in August so I just tossed them in a pot with a little soil. Every time I mowed I’d put in grass clippings. Didn’t figure I’d harvest anything planting so late in Ohio but surprise I harvested enough for a skillet full! Next year Lord willing I will plant throughout the season.
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s awesome Susan! 🙂
Mel says
We only grew tomatoes and some herbs this year since we had a baby in July, so those are wrapping up now. Everything did very well despite our neglect and some very erratic weather, but everything is also very overgrown and awful looking at this point in the season. I just picked our last round of tomatoes for salad and BLTs the other night, so we’ll probably pull the plants once we get a chance. I think they would have lasted longer if we’d been able to maintain them better, but I did learn that mail order tomatoes do pretty well for us, so I will definitely be doing that next year instead of growing from seed to save time.
In other yard news, I just knocked down all the cobwebs on our porch. We’ve always resisted using pesticides and repellants in the yard, but the bugs and spiders in and immediately around the house have become so unbearable that we might try some targeted insect control next year.
Mavis Butterfield says
Did you ever tackle all those frozen tomatoes?
Mel says
Not yet, but that’s next on my list for when I have a baby holder for the day (had to get through apple season first). I think early November will be it. I’m really looking forward to having spaghetti sauce handy again.
Sue D says
Pulled the last of the tomato plants from their grow bags last weekend. Green tomato chutney and tomato sauce made. Kept a few greenies for fried green tomatoes. Aubergines were a loss this year, peppers were so-so. Did dry some sage and also parsley. Hopping the terracing project in back is done in time for next spring.
kari says
I love it! Please be careful with compost and check it first for Grazon (aminopyralid) herbicide. I decimated my garden in 2021 because I got contaminated compost without knowing. There’s tons of videos on YouTube of gardeners all over the world who are struggling with getting this out of their soil. I’m still working on it too. Here’s what it looked like here this year:
https://ordinarykari.com/garden-2022-dealing-with-herbicides-tiny-eggs-braiding-garlic/
Sue says
I grew SunGold and SunSugar tomatoes in grow bags on my deck. They provided a phenomenal yield!
Katherine says
A new crop of arugula, spinach carrots and mesculn I planted 3 weeks ago have sprouted and are going well. Part of my garlic order arrived and is now planted. I have a new raised bed to assemble and fill using the hugelkultur technique. I’ll also dump the remaining contents of my composter in that bed and let nature do it’s magic over the winter.
Mimi says
Motivated by rising grocery prices we are extending the growing season as long as possible. I bought flexible PVC pipe for $3.00 at Habitat for Humanity ReStore and made low tunnels with floating row covers. Beets, carrots, bok choy, kale, lettuce, chard, peas and green onions are thriving so far. We’re also growing potatoes in a large planter box on the front porch – no wasted growing space here.
Constance Wheeler says
Hello All, I wanted to say I do so enjoy this page, Mavis. I’ve been reading you for years since I found you in WA.
I’m mostly incapacitated now after some nasty happenings and won’t get back to it til I have a first knee surgery, then another. It all started when I dislocated my right knee while doing volunteer trail clearing.
I’ve made many of your recipes and never found one we didn’t enjoy.
Thank you again, Mavis
Lindsey says
I love gardening. I love gardening season ending, too. We have snow on the ground so everything was pulled in about 10 days ago. The freezer is full. I feel secure.
Dee patterson says
We’re lucky in that we can grow crops over winter, even lettuce is surprisingly hardy .
Things like parsnips are sweeter after a frost.
I’ve been held back gardening wise for various reasons but I’m sure the thick mulching I did on the fruit trees meant they survived and fruited well despite a extremely hot summer with virtually no rain .
So my plans are to mulch deeply again and set aside a wild flower bit .
Katelyn says
Please tell me more about this Long Island cheese pie!
Heidi N. says
Still have cherry, grape, and yellow pear tomatoes coming. Hoping we can elude a freeze for a few more weeks. Green onions are going gangbusters as well. Would love to have a bumper crop of larger tomatoes so I could can tomatoes like you did this year, Mavis!