Monday, September 24, 2012

Harvest Monday

Good Monday! As usual I am joining Daphne's Dandelions for Harvest Monday where gardeners everywhere are showing what they harvested this past week. Go on over and join the fun!
Autumn is definitely here. We're especially noticing how much earlier it gets dark in the evening and the nights are cool. Garden production is way,way down. I'm spending more time in the garden doing clean up than I am harvesting. The stars of the garden at present are green beans, peppers and kale. Though I didn't harvest any kale this week because I'm letting the plants rest a little.
 Above are the very first of my leeks! They are skinnier than last year's, but the white part is longer, so that makes up for it a little. I planted them using the dibble method as opposed to a trench this year and I think it worked well. I have lots more in the garden yet which is good since I had a small onion harvest. Must have my alliums!
 Brought in the last of my kohlrabi. They were a little woody, but not bad at all considering how long they've been growing.
 Asian greens, a few tomatoes, broccoli sprouts, peppers and what are likely the very last two cucumbers of the year.
 Here are my last two butternut squashes. You can see by my hand how very small they are.
 In the basket are three tiny cabbages, eggplants, tomatoes, broccoli and green beans. I harvested about three pounds of green beans this week. Patch #1 does not want to throw in the towel! It is blossoming again and every time I contemplate pulling out the plants I find more beans.
 I haven't mentioned before that we're growing ground cherries. I tried them last year as a curiosity and my husband took a shine to them, so I start the seedlings and he grows the plants. They grow in a paper husk like a tomatillo and you can tell they're ripe when they fall off the plant. Last year as each ground cherry ripened, the local chipmunks, voles and mice snatched them and ate them before we could, leaving us the empty husks. What a difference a year makes! This year they'd been somewhat neglected by both us and the wildlife, so we found a carpet of them on the ground that yielded a pound and a half of fruit. They are slightly bland, but nice to munch on.
And here are my- "ahem"- first pathetic little brussels sprouts. I grew some big strong plants. But the few sprouts on them are the size of large peas. There is still a month for them to grow, but somehow I doubt I'll be seeing much. Better luck next year and maybe a new variety!
That's it for this week! Wishing all you fellow gardeners a productive week!

24 comments:

  1. I have never grown brussel sprouts before because we have mild winter. You have many variety of edibles growing in your garden :).

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    1. I love trying many different things! Not always successfully :-)

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  2. That's a good harvest week for a garden that is winding down. My winter squash are all just now starting to change color so they will be out in the garden into October. Hopefully we will get our usual fall and not see frosts until November.

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    1. Thanks! I had to bring in my squash as the plants were all destroyed by squash beetles. You are lucky you can leave them to ripen more.

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  3. Glad the moles and voles decided to leave your garden alone this year.
    I freeze the green part of my leeks and add it to the pot when making broth.

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    1. Me too Norma, the leek greens make awesome vegetable broth! The moles are still tunneling in my garden but the voles don't seem to be as hungry this year.

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  4. we tried growing ground cherries last year, they were a bit sour and we didn't much care for them. They were the goldie husk variety. Wonder if there are better flavor varieties out there. Yours look lovely!

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    1. Thanks Shawn Ann! One thing with the ground cherries is you really have to let them get completely ripe, so they have to be at the point of falling off the plant. I don't think there are too many varieties out there. Ours were Aunt Molly.

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  5. My leeks, butternuts, and brussels sprouts look exactly the same. My leeks stopped growing, so I had to pull them all up. I was hoping to keep some growing well into the winter... oh well. I knew brussels sprouts would be a challenge, but I'm going to try again next year.

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    1. Same here TS! We just won't give up! Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Looks like you had a very nice harvest selection despite the bug problem. Your brussels sprouts will burst into growth once it's cool outside - october/november. They do best when it's cold out and tend to taste better after first frost.

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    1. Jenny that is very encouraging to hear! I'll keep holding out for some bigger sprouts and will see what happens!

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  7. As allways I´m allmost jealous that You can grow butternut squash 'over there' - I love them! Next Year I must try to put them in my greenhouse! And the leeks looks wonderful! I have never heard of ground cherries, but when I google it, it came clear to me that You mean a Physalis, and I grow them as well! Funny! The brussels sprouts I have had a couple of Years, but here they can be harvested almost through december, so don´t give up! Nice poeppers, cucumbers and tomatoes as well! Have a good week! :) Mia

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    1. Thank you Mia! I'll keep waiting on the brussels sprouts and see what happens then. I've never heard ground cherries called Physalis, but I have heard them called Cape Gooseberries also. Good luck trying the butternuts in a greenhouse! They take lots of space unless you get a bush variety. But where there's a will there's a way!

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  8. Your leeks look so good. Maybe I will have to try growing them! Too bad your cukes are done. Ours are also. Will really miss them! Nice if you could keep a few fresh beans coming for awhile yet. I like them best fresh. Thanks for praying for me. Nancy

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    1. I love potato leek soup! That's what I mostly grow them for. Hope you are feeling better; I'll keep praying!

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  9. I left a comment but think I pushed the wrong button! Oh, me! You still have a nice variety of harvest. The leeks look so delicious. Nice that you got more butternut squash even if they were small! Nancy

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    1. You got through both times Nancy! Thanks for the comments, they are always appreciated!

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  10. Your ground cherries look divine! I tried growing them once but they didn't take...I may have to try again next year :-)

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    1. Thank you! My husband gets the credit, because he likes growing them. They are interesting. We don't get enough to do anything special with them, just snack on them raw.

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  11. I think your Brussels sprouts are bigger than mine. My plants are nearly 5' high and huge, but the sprouts are teeny tiny. I'll leave them and hope they continue to grow for another month or two.

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    1. I'm hoping the same thing Granny. The ones I picked are far and away the largest. I pruned the growing tops off the plants, because I've read that will make the plant send its energy to the sprouts. We'll see about that!

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  12. I really like ground cherries, or Cape Gooseberries as well call them. I like their tartness but I've had them served with a toffee coating before and that was nice as well.

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    1. That toffee coating sounds interesting. I've seen a recipe for little tarts with them also.

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