Lettuce Give Thanks

I can't thank Mother Nature enough for this unusual stretch of mild November weather we're having. My lettuce is certainly enjoying it as much as I am. I wonder if it would be too much to expect another week of this before the first hard frost arrives?

Don't Bug Me Man!

Well, all of the winter squash are in and for the first time in several years I can celebrate the fact that I had a squash bug free growing season. I don't know why they didn't show up. We didn't have a winter that seemed harsh enough to kill all of them off in hibernation or destroy all of their dormant eggs. I don't know where they went, but I do hope they stay there and never return. So thank you Mother Nature and if it's not too much to ask, could we have a repeat of this performance next year?

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Normally at this time of year discussions about anything orange in the garden would center around pumpkins, winter squash and particularly hardy chrysanthemums. But this growing season is ending as strangely as it began. 

Just as winter didn't seem to want to move on and allow spring to take its place, now summer seems reluctant to make way for autumn. We usually have our first hard frost well before now. And there were times during my formative years when trick or treat treks took place in heavy coats and boots through inches of snow, but not this year. It will be cool and dry for the candy goblins tonight. And tomorrow's weather should be sunny with high temperatures in the mid 70's.

I'm not complaining about Jack Frost's delayed arrival. I'm overjoyed that he is late because it's given my Bulgarian Carrot Pepper time to mature and show its true colors. I planted it late and it takes a while to grow, but it seems that the odds were ever in my favor. Just a few more days of mild weather and I'll have the chance to see how it tastes.

That's all for now.

Довиждане

Late Early Tomatoes

This season I planted all of my tomatoes, from the tiniest cherry varieties to the larger types, in containers. And I managed to plant them in waves so they wouldn't all ripen at the same time. It has been a pleasing success. The early tomatoes that I planted last are ripening just as the growing season is coming to a close. Since they are bred to grow in cooler temperatures and shorter time periods, the post summer cool down has been perfect for them. In the immortal words of John "Hannibal" Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Harvest Hues

The vibrant colors of these banana peppers clearly indicate that they are ripe and flavorful enough to be collected. They'll make a great addition to my baked sausage, potato and onion dish.

Contained Tomatoes

What is the best container size to use for tomatoes? Well, it seems that the answer is any size that works. I wouldn't have thought that I'd get any decent results planting Siletz Organic(a determinate variety) in a container the same size as the ones I use for cherry tomatoes. But as you can see, this plant has produced nice sized fruit. I guess the potting soil/compost mix along with some organic liquid fish fertilizer did the trick. Don't you just love it when an experiment is successful?

Yes, You Can Grow A Rainbow

One of the great things about growing banana peppers is that you can never be sure what colors you'll get. And when there are multiple hues on a single plant, it's as though you're growing a very tasty rainbow.