The early November edible garden

Fall garden, very dry this year.....

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Well, we still have not had a hard frost in our Zone 6/7 garden.  We also haven't gotten a rain in weeks and none in the forecast for the next two weeks.  The basil, herbs, eggplant and peppers are still going strong.  The tomatoes and cucumbers have really slowed down.  The Cherokee Purple tomato plant is still going really strong.  

Many of the lettuce I planted in September has bolted, but a few have not.  Everything you need to know about growing lettuce  Be sure to give your fall lettuce a sunny spot and plenty of moisture.  This has been a crazy hot fall.  the hottest September and October on record.  Good for the summer veggies, but has caused many of the lettuce plants to bolt.  The arugula, cultivated dandelions, corn salad, parsley and celery are all doing very well.  The celery is still going strong.  Our celery doesn’t seem to be affected by heat or cold.  We harvest from it year round.  Give celery a try, an easy to grow garden staple

The basil is still growing and has many flowers.  I have left it to flower for the bees, butterflies and other pollinators.  Basil basics-harvesting, preserving, growing basil  The onions are still doing well, both in the garden and pot.  Onions-everything you need to know to grow 'em  The sprouting broccoli plants would really like some cooler temperatures.  I love growing it.  It gives salad greens year round.  Sprouting broccoli- a year round fav

I let the carrots go to flower this summer.  Carrots are in the same family as Queen Ann's Lace and have pretty flowers.  I now have a whole herd of volunteer carrot plants sprouting all over the garden.  You can pull carrots all winter from the garden.  A good frost/freeze really sweetens the taste.  Grow crunchy, colorful carrots practically year round

The next time the forecast has the temperatures going into the 20’s, I will harvest all the peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant fruits and call it a season for these summer veggies.

Potted fall lettuce

You could bring the peppers indoors and they will continue fruiting for weeks and put them back out in the spring to get a head start on summer.  I am going to bring in the best producers of Tangerine Gem and Pimento pepper plants as well as the two ancient pepper varieties I have growing.  I think I am going to let the White Egg eggplant go as the fruits were just so small and try Turkish Orange again next season.  It was a good producer and I really liked the flavor.  

You could also put the potted tomatoes, eggplant and peppers in a greenhouse and lengthen the season for at least another 4 weeks.  

The rest of the herbs are doing very well-thyme, savory, oregano, chives, tarragon, rosemary, sage, bay, parsley, lavender, mint.  You can still harvest your herbs for drying to use all winter.  Make your own "Herbes de Provence"

Don't forget your local Farmers Market if you want local and freshest produce in season.  Many are open all winter long!