Fall - ing in the Garden
Oops! Just realized the title looks like I fell down while in the garden. Nope. Sure didn't. Glad about that too since the garden in on my side porch. The porch is cement. I meant that I am doing Fall-type things in the garden. Then again I am also Summer - ing in the garden as my plants are just now producing their harvest:) OK. back to business.
Fall is coming. Time to start getting the garden ready for winter. My remaining soup bean and pea pods are dry on the vine waiting to be gathered for use as next year's seed . I will shell them, place them in storage bags/jars, and label for next year. How sweet and good the peas were this year. We only planted enough plants for us to pick off the ripe pods and eat straight from the plant. Nibbling beautiful green peas straight from the pod is a fun, inexpensive summer indulgence.
Since my garden consists of containers on the side porch this year I am able to easily remove spent plants from their containers. For ease of gardening, my container garden was perfect. With a small baby in the house and older children needed for work elsewhere, this was the only way a garden would have worked for us this year. Had the garden been in a location with more shelter from both the wind and sun it would have been a complete success. As it is, the southern exposure was too intense for most of the plants. My cucumbers grew, produced many blossoms, but in the end the sun was just too much for them.
Due to sun, wind, and bugs, peppers, peas, lettuce, spinach, and carrots did the best this year. Tomatoes have kept right on trying. The few fruits they did produce have had delicious flavor, the best of any we've had all summer. The corn is still alive, and the brussel sprouts are still working at it too. We won't even talk about the green beans that were devoured by bugs. The three beans they did manage to produce were very tasty. Too bad they didn't make it into the house.
Somewhere amidst the tall grass on the island in our pond are pumpkins. So far, none of us are brave enough to face the bugs to find them. Maybe this week? I am going to put the tomato plants out of their misery and pull them before week's end. The corn will be left to dry then used for exterior decorations and next year's seed. Carrots will be left as long as possible before harvesting too. The lone producers remaining will be the peppers. Peppers are being declared the overwhelming victor of the summer garden this year! Beautiful, productive plants were a delight to my eyes and taste buds. Once I remembered that I had planted Purple Beauty variety and didn't have a blight that is.
What's going on in your Fall garden? How did your garden fare this year? Looking forward to hearing in a comment or email sent to amothersrewards@gmail.com. Feel free to share any plans for next year as well.
Final fall analysis of this year's garden? My container garden allowed me to have a garden when I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Containers located right outside the door made it possible for me to hop out and work for snippets of time here and there. This permitted me to do the majority of my own watering, weeding, etc. Something my children are extremely grateful for. A larger harvest would have been really, really nice, but I am still abundantly thankful for the blessing of being able to have a garden and actually work in it myself. A less windy, shadier location would have benefitted tremendously. Well, that and more attractive containers. Don't you think less unattractive containers would make the veggies grow better and produce more? haha. Not really. Having them in a less noticable location might make My Beloved feel better about the garden though.
Even though this year's minute harvest found me contemplating whether or not a suitable location for a garden exists in our yard, the sense of satisfaction at having a nibble or two of fresh vegetables grown ourselves and seed for future gardens won out. Consequently, next year will find me continuing my quest for the perfect garden spot here at Abundance House. My Beloved and I are already discussing some possibilities. Pretty certain next year's location won't be visible when people drive in. At least it won't be if we're using the same bright blue plastic containers, not if My Beloved is involved anyway. Those tubs were really difficult for him to see filling his porch everytime he came home.
Thankful for a husband who notices and understands my desire for our place to look nice. I don't do a very good job of making it look nice yet, but I will. A little bit every year will eventually bring an overall positive result. I just have to be patient. What thankfulness has your garden inspired this year? Did you have a garden? If you didn't, would you like to? Is that a "someday, I would like to..." dream? We'll be happy to read about it in a comment or an email sent to amothersrewards@gmail.com.
Don't forget to drop in for another visit one of these days. We love it when you come over. Sometime soon I'll tell you about a new use for our sage and rosemary. It isn't anything we have ever used them for before. The woodburners on our gift list will be thrilled about this new use. Come back over when we talk about it.
Until next time - love, hugs, & prayers, Blessed Mama
Fall is coming. Time to start getting the garden ready for winter. My remaining soup bean and pea pods are dry on the vine waiting to be gathered for use as next year's seed . I will shell them, place them in storage bags/jars, and label for next year. How sweet and good the peas were this year. We only planted enough plants for us to pick off the ripe pods and eat straight from the plant. Nibbling beautiful green peas straight from the pod is a fun, inexpensive summer indulgence.
Since my garden consists of containers on the side porch this year I am able to easily remove spent plants from their containers. For ease of gardening, my container garden was perfect. With a small baby in the house and older children needed for work elsewhere, this was the only way a garden would have worked for us this year. Had the garden been in a location with more shelter from both the wind and sun it would have been a complete success. As it is, the southern exposure was too intense for most of the plants. My cucumbers grew, produced many blossoms, but in the end the sun was just too much for them.
Due to sun, wind, and bugs, peppers, peas, lettuce, spinach, and carrots did the best this year. Tomatoes have kept right on trying. The few fruits they did produce have had delicious flavor, the best of any we've had all summer. The corn is still alive, and the brussel sprouts are still working at it too. We won't even talk about the green beans that were devoured by bugs. The three beans they did manage to produce were very tasty. Too bad they didn't make it into the house.
Somewhere amidst the tall grass on the island in our pond are pumpkins. So far, none of us are brave enough to face the bugs to find them. Maybe this week? I am going to put the tomato plants out of their misery and pull them before week's end. The corn will be left to dry then used for exterior decorations and next year's seed. Carrots will be left as long as possible before harvesting too. The lone producers remaining will be the peppers. Peppers are being declared the overwhelming victor of the summer garden this year! Beautiful, productive plants were a delight to my eyes and taste buds. Once I remembered that I had planted Purple Beauty variety and didn't have a blight that is.
What's going on in your Fall garden? How did your garden fare this year? Looking forward to hearing in a comment or email sent to amothersrewards@gmail.com. Feel free to share any plans for next year as well.
Final fall analysis of this year's garden? My container garden allowed me to have a garden when I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Containers located right outside the door made it possible for me to hop out and work for snippets of time here and there. This permitted me to do the majority of my own watering, weeding, etc. Something my children are extremely grateful for. A larger harvest would have been really, really nice, but I am still abundantly thankful for the blessing of being able to have a garden and actually work in it myself. A less windy, shadier location would have benefitted tremendously. Well, that and more attractive containers. Don't you think less unattractive containers would make the veggies grow better and produce more? haha. Not really. Having them in a less noticable location might make My Beloved feel better about the garden though.
Even though this year's minute harvest found me contemplating whether or not a suitable location for a garden exists in our yard, the sense of satisfaction at having a nibble or two of fresh vegetables grown ourselves and seed for future gardens won out. Consequently, next year will find me continuing my quest for the perfect garden spot here at Abundance House. My Beloved and I are already discussing some possibilities. Pretty certain next year's location won't be visible when people drive in. At least it won't be if we're using the same bright blue plastic containers, not if My Beloved is involved anyway. Those tubs were really difficult for him to see filling his porch everytime he came home.
Thankful for a husband who notices and understands my desire for our place to look nice. I don't do a very good job of making it look nice yet, but I will. A little bit every year will eventually bring an overall positive result. I just have to be patient. What thankfulness has your garden inspired this year? Did you have a garden? If you didn't, would you like to? Is that a "someday, I would like to..." dream? We'll be happy to read about it in a comment or an email sent to amothersrewards@gmail.com.
Don't forget to drop in for another visit one of these days. We love it when you come over. Sometime soon I'll tell you about a new use for our sage and rosemary. It isn't anything we have ever used them for before. The woodburners on our gift list will be thrilled about this new use. Come back over when we talk about it.
Until next time - love, hugs, & prayers, Blessed Mama