What's happening in the mid September edible garden

September edible garden

Sunday, September 19, 2020

Self seeding flowers like zinnias, hummingbird vine, morning glory and cock's comb are in full splendor right now.  Edible Mediterranean plants love this weather, too.  Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, okra, Egyptian walking onions, cucumbers, the Mediterranean herbs like basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, chives, savory, dill, tarragon and thyme and all types of greens enjoy the bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70's.  We are preserving everything we have extra right now.  It is so rewarding to know that we can eat food we grew year round.

In the last week, we have seen the temps go from the highs in the 90's to the highs in the 70's.  Quite the change!  It definitely feels like fall is on its way.

I fertilized at the beginning of the month with an organic fertilizer from Espoma.  With natural fertilizers you don’t have to worry about “burning” your plants as they slowly release into the ground.   This may be the last time we fertilize this season. You should fertilize about once a month through the growing season.  You don’t want to shoot too much nitrogen to your fruit producers as you can end up with all leaves and no veggie fruits.  

It is important to get all your winter and overwintering veggies and greens up to full size prior to early November.  The days are so short come November that there will be minimal growth from November to mid January.  A fall edible garden

Our garlic has finished hardening.  It is recommended you leave garlic and onions you want to store in 80+ degree temperatures in the shade for a couple of weeks.  Ours have been hardening on the covered patio for about 6 weeks.  It is now ready to plant in the waning of the moon next month, if you want to follow the moon sign.  Garlic can be planted any time between now and end of October.  October is prime time to plant garlic

Okra leaves up front, sweet potato vines, zinnias and cock's comb behind

This year was not a banner year for my tomatoes and zucchini.  I think it was because we had so much rain.  It was a record year for summer rainfall.  The zucchini plants died back over a month ago.  We are still getting some fruits from the tomatoes but they are producing slowly and the plants are spindly.  My dwarf potted tomato plant is still doing quite well, Little Napoli.  Compact tomatoes for small spaces and pots

There is still enough tomatoes that I am continuing to freeze what we don't ear.  Fall is the time that I will take any frozen tomatoes left over from last year and can.  This year, I don't have any left over, but have lots and lots of canned sauce from the previous year.  Preserving the tomato harvest       Easy, low tox canning of summer's bounty

The chives, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, oregano, parsley, celery, and sage are all doing quite well.  The Egyptian walking onions are thriving.  All will do well through the fall and into the winter.  Use your own herbs for your Thanksgiving dinner

My pepper plants are doing fine.  The plants grew quite large this year in their pots. The Pimento Elite pepper plant is full of green peppers.  The sweet maroon and cayenne pepper plant have both green and ripening fruits on it.  I have been freezing extras off both for around a month now.  Peppers a Plenty in September

I am getting enough pimentos to freeze for the Pasta House salad we love to make, and eat.  The cayennes I use to make hot sauce and in salsa.

For peppers, if you want to maximize the harvest, pick them as soon as they get to full size and are green versus letting them fully ripen to red, yellow, or orange on the plant.  This stimulates the plant to produce more.  If you let them fully ripen on the plant, the taste will be sweeter but the harvest less.  I compromise and take them off just when they start to turn.  They complete ripening on the counter in a few days.

My Baby Bubba dwarf okra plants have really gotten going in the last couple of weeks.  They are only about 3 feet tall but are quite bushy.  They keep putting on more side shoots that then flower and fruit.  Looks like they are going to finish into fall strong.

Basil in front, okra to left, cock's comb on right, zinnias in background

I had 3 cucumber plants.  All have been doing very well.  I get about 4 cucumbers from them daily. They are so crunchy and flavorful right off the vine!  Any extras go into pickles.  Make your own pickles without a store bought seasoning mix

I am transplanting lettuce plants from the small tray self watering pots into the Earthbox planters and into the garden.  We keep them well moist so they sprout and grow quickly.  Spinach will be next. 

I had also let the greens in the Earthbox reseed themselves over the summer and there are little lettuce, chard, cultivated dandelions, sprouting broccoli and arugula growing.  We will cover the Earthboxes with a small portable green house later this fall so we can have salads throughout the winter.  Homegrown, organic salads in a Midwest winter

Make sure you save the seeds from your best and longest producers to plant in your garden next spring.  I also save seeds from organic produce I get from the store that is really good.  Some of my favorite tomato plants have come from seed saved from store bought tomatoes.  Look for heirlooms as they will come back like their parent from seed.  What do the terms GMO, natural, heirloom, organic, hybrid really mean?

Tomato, horseradish, marigolds, morning glory and zinnias

This fall, we will have arugula, mustard greens, lettuce, chard, blood veined sorrel, garden sorrel, French and Italian dandelion, spinach, lettuce, purslane, corn salad, celery, chives, parsley, arugula, and sprouting broccoli for salads.  Peppers, eggplant and tomatoes will produce until the first freeze.  The Egyptian onions will produce all through winter.