Yesterday Lucy and I spent the afternoon pulling up 6 giant cherry tomato plants, harvesting potatoes and planting seeds. I was AWESOME!
Lucy isn’t normally allowed in the garden boxes but since I needed about 2/3rds of the raised garden bed tilled, I let her jump in and go to town. That dog LOVES digging I tell you.
After the plants were pulled we planted 1 row of carrots, 1 row of beets and a half row of turnips. I’m hoping the seeds we planted yesterday will grow into full sized vegetables in time for this years Christmas dinner.
We also planted 6 Brussels sprouts seedlings. I don’t think I’ve ever planted Brussels sprouts before in the fall, only the spring, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they are worth the prime garden real estate.
When I pulled up the zucchini plants last month, I planted 8 zucchini seeds in the side yard with the hopes of one last crop of summer squash. I think if the temps stay where they’ve been for a few more weeks we may just be able to squeeze a second harvest.
We re-seeded the grass a few weeks ago and it’s coming in nicely in the backyard. Now I need to thatch the front yard and get the rest of the grass seed planted before it gets too cold.
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. They keep rolling in.
Does anyone know of a vining vegetable I can plant to replace my pole beans after I harvest them? I can’t think of anything other than sugar snap peas. I’m afraid by the time I finish picking beans at the end of the month it will be too late to plant peas. Any ideas?
Rainbow Swiss chard.
The strawberry plants are doing an excellent job of putting off runners and I fully expect to have this area filled with strawberry plants next summer. It’s going to look AMAZING. And c’mon, who wouldn’t want to have a patch of everbearing strawberries to pick from all summer long.
Fall clean up. 
It never seems to end.
I’m not sure what I am going to plant in this spot next spring, but I’m hoping to build up the area in our upper garden for free using compost, grass clipping and leaf litter this fall and winter.
What are you doing with all your spent plants? Are you composting them too? How is YOUR garden doing these days?
~Mavis
This year’s garden is being sponsored by the awesome folks at Botanical Interests Seed Company. You can check out their website HERE, order their new 2015 Garden Seed Catalog, or see the seeds I’ll be growing in my garden this year HERE.
Up for a tour? Read about our behind the scenes tour of Botanical Interests Seed Company.
Marie says
What species of hedge did you trim?
Mavis Butterfield says
Laurel.
Elizabeth in Upstate NY says
Spent yesterday finishing digging potatoes, harvesting tomatoes [a “cancer” is on lots of them] yellow and green bush beans and pole beans. Today washed and culled through the heirloom tomatoes making tomato soup base and washed and cut all the beans. [Isn’t football wonderful? Hubby cut all the beans!] Tonight will can. Expect to get 5 pints soup base [yes, we’ve been “sampling,” yum] and 9 to 10 pints of beans. Pulled some to make dilly beans.
The plant skeletons all go into the compost after getting cut up. Currently have a volunteer vine growing in it, Am curious to see what it really is so will wait to do big dump. Have lots of weeds going to seed, and those ALL get bagged for composting elsewhere.
Tamara says
Lucy – garden assistant extraordinaire!
Renay says
Just make sure you don’t compost anything that had any disease or weirdness going on, like tomatoes falling off before they ripen, etc….most home composts get hot enough to compost but not hot enough to kill diseases. FYI – The yard waste we all have picked up is artificially heated to kill any disease
Teresa says
We (daughter and grand daughter) picked 13 football sized pumpkins today! She was so excited to have pumpkins from Grammer! Picked tomatoes and beans to dry for seeds. Also picked sweet peas (the flower) dried pods for next years’ crop. My favorite flower. Was a beautiful day the weather was perfect.
Gay says
Plant English Cucumbers where you take out those beans. They do VERY well growing up a trellis if you help them reach to connect once in awhile. The long cucs aren’t ever dirty or yellow on one side. Just great! Easy to pick for Grandma. My husbands idea when saving space in our tiny plot. Put a trellis kind of formation on 2 sides. One package of seed gave us lots for the last 2 months and still more flowers coming now it has cooled down a little here.
Thanks for your fun site Mavis.
Gay
Deborah from FL says
I really like the English Cuke idea. 🙂
Have you ever grown ginger? I gave it a go last year in pots, and ended up training them up small trellises in an attempt to corral the leaves. I did not expect their leaves to get so long. Oops.
Diane says
Could you start peas in pots to get them started and then transplant them to your bean space? Since it is end of the season, you might be able to score some of the larger peat pots on discount which will make transplanting super easy. Have a great week!
Lisa Millar says
Look at those lovely potatoes!! I noticed our first potato plant peeking up through the soil yesterday! Can’t wait until we are eating new potatoes again!
Lucy is great! Wish Pip (our cat) was that helpful. He is anti helpful. He thinks sitting on my shoulders snoopervising from above is helpful!!! 😀
Your rainbow chard looks so beautiful! I am growing it this season for the first time. Granted, the chickens will get to eat most of it, but it will be a pretty addition!
And those tomatoes!!
Here is my Nanna’s tomato relish recipe in case you want to do something different with them:
6lb ripe tomatoes chopped
2lb onions diced
2lb sugar
3 tablespoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons curry powder
Vinegar (you can use white, malt or cider – each work well)
Cornflour to thicken
salt
Put the chopped tomato and onion into a big pot and sprinkle top with a handful of salt and leave overnight.
Pour off excess juice
cover with vinegar (I add until it looks saturated)
add sugar and bring to boil stirring
Let simmer (no lid) for a couple of hours
Mix mustard and curry powder with some cornflour into smooth paste and add to mixture
You may need to add more cornflour if nec.
Spoon into sterilised jars and seal (You’ll need about 10 jars or so)
Beautiful on cold or hot meats, in sandwiches and as a pizza base too