Our summer garden is just about done for. We’re still getting okra, tomatoes, a few cucumbers, and a few beans, but the plants are all on their way out. The only thing still going strong is the Malabar Spinach—it just grows taller and lusher as the days go by.
I have a few melons, pumpkins, and candy roasters waiting to be harvested. I’ve been leaving them alone, but this late in the season I doubt they’ll grow any larger.
I’m anxious to plant some fall things, but since I’m going to direct sow I’ve been holding off until the month of September. Last year none of my fall things come up and I believe its because I planted them too early.
I aim to sow some lettuce, kale, radishes, and beets under the cancer sign. Hopefully I can get it done.
Our summer garden has really done well this year, and we’ve so enjoyed every bite we eat and I know this winter we’ll enjoy every morsel we put up.
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Tipper,
When John died, he was Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Suvannah, Ga. His wife Roberta heard him fall out of bed and she was the Head Nurse at a Hospital where she worked. She tried to Revive him to no avail, the Doctors said his heart just exploded. Blood Pressure problems are Plentiful in our Family, so are Strokes and Heart Attacks. He was the First One to go, I think he was 52 or 53. All of us Brothers were there, except Joel. He stayed there with Mama.
Since then, I have buried all my Brothers, including My Dad and Mom. I know I’ll get to see them again, The Good Lord promises that in the Bible.
I remember John and Me playing Football in the Snow with Just the Porchlite on, I was littler than him and I was Fast as Greesed Lightning. By the time he’d hike the ball to me, I was Gone. …Ken
Today Tipper, I’m going to plant some turnips. We clean one of the beds out last night. Today is a good day of the sights.
We are so HOT still in the Deep South! Pulled up the old tomatoes and have already planted some Celebrity tomatoes. Hope the fruit before October. I also planted in August some seeds from an acorn squash. They are up and growing. Am going to try some kale or turnips soon. Wish I understood the planting signs better!
My garden got a backset from varmits and deer My brother gave me some awful smelling stuff to spray on my beans and okra. This stuff smells like an in use hog pen, said it worked for him. I sprayed it on the big leafs of the okra and it didn’t slow the deer down any. I had to put a fence around it and it’s producing good now. I don’t have many tomatoes left, hardly let any of them get ripe. We have been feasting on fried okra, green tomatoes, and cocozelle squash. My late peas, cucumbers, and sugar baby watermelons are doing good. Should have my first watermelon in about a week. Tipper, I liked your picture and your opinion on the malabar spinach, so I ordered two packs. Lord willing, I’ll have my whole garden fenced in soon and will be able to keep out the deer next garden season. Groundhogs I can’t keep out so they will have to be handled differently, and you know what I mean.
I’m having to stop my gardening for the year. I’m still getting green beans and tomatoes but I’m out of jar lids. I do have some quart size jars with lids but since I am by myself if I opened a quart of anything most of it would go to waste. I hate to waste food I have worked so hard to produce!
I might try to plant a few fall crops if the weather dries up.
My garden is so small now, and I have to make certain I do not get carried away planting as in times past. I had overwintered kale all Winter last year, and that was a great experience. My neighbor used to sow turnips for Fall and he would have a huge field of turnips come which he would turn under come Spring. A variety might work, as there always seems to be some vegetables that thrive and some that do not. I buy those plastic snakes and spread them about in my garden during planting time. By the time the birds catch on to my shenanigans the plants are up. Also, I try to plan it around when rain is predicted for a few days, and water the rows if no rain. I need to try planting by the signs, but seems I get too carried away every year to pay attention.
I am blessed to have the most productive garden ever. The weather has been good and I spent more time working in it while I have been staying safe at home during the pandemic. My garden has just about stopped producing as well. All thirty two tomato vines are still loaded with green tomatoes that promise good eating for another month. I am going to gather my cushaws this evening and try drying a few in the dehydrator. Mom used to dry them on a string that hung right beside the shuck beans. I can’t remember if she re-hydrated them or if we ate them dried, but they tasted like orange slice candy to a bunch of hungry kids. I’m excited about my crop of strawberry popcorn that is almost ready for harvest. The only fall planting I have done is a long bed of turnips.
I can’t believe the summer is almost over. With all the focus on the virus I’ve completely lost touch with time.
Your garden has been magnificently productive this summer and I appreciate all that you have shared with me.
That new kind of spinach is very good and not as fragile as the usual kind.
Those cattle panels you put in the garden worked great. It seems to me that you are able to plant more in the space and everything is up off the ground so it’s easy to harvest!
You have put up so much food this year. Could you take a picture or 3 of it and show your readers. You have canned food and frozen food, and lots of dried fruits and vegetables.
Girl, I just don’t know how you do so much !
I have started planting fall garden, probably a bit early I’ll admit. I have planted radish, spinach, kale, mustard, summer squash and turnip. The radish and mustard/turnip mix is just now up. I planted them in the shade to pamper them a bit at first. As the leaves fall the shade will slowly go away.
I keep checking for plants at the farm supply but so far the truck has not run. I’m looking for broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts. Hopefully Thursday.
In upstate SC , a popular thing to plant at this time of year is turnip greens. One of the favorites is the purple top for turnips. There are other varieties that only have greens. My daddy like to mix several varieties together along with a little bit of mustard seed. The old folks said you had to plant on Aug.18 if you wanted to have turnips.
Tipper–My summer garden is also pretty much at an end. Okra is a notable exception and it requires cutting every 36 hours and just keeps on bearing. There are still crowder peas aplenty as well, although I’ve been somewhat neglectful in terms of keeping them gathered. Otherwise, with the exception of a few tomatoes (bad to crack this time of year, especially given the fact that I had a measured 8.10 inches of rain in August) that’s about it. You’ve convinced me I need to plant malabar spinach next year. Meanwhile, it’s garden clean-up time.
Jim Casada