Backyard Garden Plot Pictures – Week 41 of 52
Even though the growing season is winding down, there are still plenty of vegetables to see in our backyard garden. The fava beans I planted a few weeks ago are doing well and are now about 4 inches tall. I planted these as a cover crop to give the soil in this bed a boost next spring.
The kale tree is still hanging in there, and the Swiss chard is alive and kicking too.
The potato patch and bean tepees are gone, but I have a cool idea on how to use this space for next year. Would you believe I’ve already starting mapping out next years garden? I’m a total nerd.
The nighttime temps have been in the mid 40’s lately so everything in our unheated greenhouse is still alive. We still have a couple of tomato plants that are producing as well as lettuce, peas and our lemon tree.
Every time I check on our purple cabbage plants there are a few more tiny holes in them. I’m not sure what kind of bug is munching on the outer leaves, but hopefully they’ll stay away from the main heads of cabbage long enough for us to harvest them.
A view of the backyard.
The pumpkin patch. We picked the pumpkins earlier this week so now all that’s left is cleaning up the growing area.
The chicken coop.
Yep, we’ve got plenty of Swiss chard.
And kale. The chickens love their kale.
And last but not least, the raspberry patch.
Winter is on its way that’s for sure. Let’s hope I can finish up the rest of my fall garden chores before the weather gets too nasty.
Peace Out Girl Scouts I’m off to go hang out with The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird.
Have a great Sunday,
Mavis
This years garden is being sponsored by the awesome folks at Botanical Interests Seed Company. You can check out their website HERE, order their new 2013 Garden Seed Catalog HERE, or visit my online boyfriend Ryan’s blog HERE.
Up for a tour? Read about our behind the scenes tour of Botanical Interests Seed Company.
Randy says
thanks for the reminder for fall planting I harvested lettuce and peas yesterday .MMMMMM
Marie says
You are not a nerd! What else do we have to think about all winter long but how to start up our gardens next spring! It’s in our blood – gardening/farming/feeding the masses is our life calling.
Jezibels says
I am planning next years garden too, I worry one day that I will run out of space or ideas, but after being here 12 years we haven’t yet! The little bugger eating your cabbage may be cabbage worms, they are eating my br sprouts and my brocolli like crazy, im too chicken to spray BT on them because we eat everything we grow so Ive been picking them off (they are 1″ long and green caterpillars).
Dianna says
I’ve got turnips, beets, and a little bit of spinach and chard hanging on. I tried for fall peas but I think I was too late; they haven’t bloomed yet. I’ll go earlier next year!
I just read a book that you would totally geek out about. It’s called Backyard Winter Gardening by Caleb Warnock.
Gracey says
Hi Mavis, have you ever had problems with grasshoppers? do you have any tips on how to keep them off my plants? so far they’ve eaten all of my bokchoy and lettuce.. 🙁 anyone out there who has good tips on keeping those nasty hoppers on my plants, please help!
Margaret Thele says
No Mavis, you are not a nerd for planning the 2014 garden. I run a nursery and really, I’m late on my 2014 ordering by this time of year. I still am formulating my grow list for next season as I put the nursery to bed for the year. The best time for planning I find, is when the season’s garden is still fresh in your mind and so you don’t get carried away by all the pretty plants in the spring. Lord knows you can’t find all of them good homes!
Marla says
HI Mavis!! Hey, did you ever post about which potato method planting worked best, out of the three towers and the ground growers? I live in the desert; some people grow excellent crops of potatoes here, but my group didn’t do very well this year. I’m pretty sure they had too much sun and I didn’t dig deeply enough. (too much sun = desert heat of 110+ in the summer…need a couple hours of shade protection ) I want to try towers in the spring–and am eagerly waiting the results of your experiment! Did I miss it?? Thanks for all you do, your blog is so helpful to novices like myself! <3
Missy says
I agree with the cabbage worms. Flip those outer leaves up and see if you can see those little caterpillars. Just hand pluck them off. They’re kind of cute and I feel bad doing it, but they will totally destroy your brassicas!
Onilee says
Mavis, try putting some Epsom salt on the dirt at the base of your cabbages. I use it and all of the bugs left town.
Lorraine says
Mavis, those tiny holes are cabbage loopers or other such worms. They love brassicas of any kind! I use bacillus thuringiensis on all my plants of that kind as early in the season as I begin to see the moths that lay those darn eggs! Some folks use a butterfly net to catch the moths and they never get the chance to lay the eggs. I keep thinking I want to do that but haven’t gotten a net yet. If you let the cabbage loopers go, they can destroy broccoli, kale, and sometimes your cabbage. I think they prefer broccoli.
Lorraine says
Bacillus Thuringiensis is eaten by the loopers and it does them in. It is not harmful to bees, other insects or humans. I try to spray every other day if the worms are prolific. If you get rid of the worms early, they won’t keep producing more and and you stop spraying. I prefer Bacillus Thuringiensis because it’s not destructive to anything other than the worms!
Jen says
Hey Mavis – love your blog. I only have a small raised bed garden….about the size of ONE of your beds. I want to start planning for next year too — any advice on which plants are the most frugal to plant? In the past I’ve just grown tomatoes, cucumbers, bushbeans and carrots. But there was a lot of wasted space and I’m thinking now that they didn’t give me the best bang for my buck, since I then went on to buy organic spinach, kale, etc. from someone else at a high price. I think next year I might just do one cherry tomato plant (kids love it), and then try to focus on greens or veggies that give a high-yield so I can be as frugal as possible. any suggestions? I’m in zone 5 / canada.
I WISH I could only spend $100/month. Right now I’m closer to $1000 per month!!! I’m almost embarrased to admit that.
Mavis Butterfield says
Don’t be embarrassed, we all have to start somewhere. 🙂 I’ll be posting about my plan for next years garden soon. 🙂