Garden September Update - SteemIt Community Garden Journal Challenge 5 -Part 2
We are starting to feel fall coming in even though officially it is not until September 22nd. We have had our first frost and things are starting to wind down, perennials starting to harden off along with the trees and shrubs.
Just before the first frost I pulled a lot of the potted plants I had growing outside into the sun room to give them a bit more time to produce.
JJ Liikes spending more time in the sun room too, we call it his outdoors indoors!
Those green tomatoes in the picture above are the Green Zebra Tomatoes. Delicious! They are just ripening. They stay green even when they are ripe, but more of a yellowish green with dark green stripes.
Flowers that were out on the deck bought in so we can enjoy them for a longer period.
Malabar Spinach, Lettuce and Spider Plant bought inside for the night because of expected frost
I had some lettuce plants and Malabar spinach plants that were just getting going so I dug them out and will continue growing them in the sun room, well protected from the frost.
Ice on the Hot Tub Cover after a Frosty Night!
I was glad I had bought my plants in and picked most of the tomatoes (although they were green they will ripen better indoors where it is warmer) cucumbers and peppers for it went down to 4 degrees below Celsius. I also picked a bunch of the celery and herbs for drying.
Anise Hyssop and Sweet Cicely plus Celery Leaves drying on racks
This is what I call a horse mushroom and they dry really good for winter use.
Another interesting mushroom by the crane statues
More of what is happening out side in the garden...
The nasturtiums are still going strong and the plums seems to be okay and still ripening.
A Bouquet of Broccoli Flowers
The sprouting broccoli is still putting out a few flower heads plus I have one late broccoli plant that is just starting to form it's head. In behind the broccoli plant is the potatoes I had planted from the sprouting left over stored potatoes. They were planted late but are still growing in the covered garden so I should get something from them.
The Frost bought a riot of color with it!
One thing about the frost, it brings a magnificent change of color in the leaves. To see more of the changing colors take a tour up my lane in the video I did for part 1 of this SteemIt Community Garden Journal Challenge 5
Find out more about SteemIt Community Garden Journal Challenge 5 #gardenjournal2018 and come join in at: https://steemit.com/gardenjournal2018/@simplymike/steemit-community-garden-journal-challenge-5-september-join-or-resteem-and-win
See my August Update for the SteemIt Community Garden Journal Challenge 4 at: https://steemit.com/gardenjournal2018/@porters/some-wins-some-losses-it-s-all-a-part-of-gardening
See a late August garden update at:
https://steemit.com/homesteadphotography/@porters/update-on-the-garden-the-seasons-are-changing
Congratulations @porters! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
You have frost already?
That reminds me that it will be here soon too, and I have a million things to do before that happens.
I want to harvest most of the nasturtiums to make pesto out of the leafs. And yesterday I read that you can make a delicious spicy sauce out of the flowers. I really need to start to take action before everything is gone.
Yes we had an early fall here.I'm moving more of my gardening indoors now. We have way to short of summers!
It is starting to get colder here too, @porters. Y.esterday morning it was only 6°C here - that's not very far away from the freezing point.
I can't wait any longer to start harvesting the herbs and plants that can't take the cold...
Ooh, I hate this time of the year. I do have a room downstairs where I can put my perennials to overwinter, but it's just not the same...
I'll be looking forward to the moment I can start sowing again :0)
My sentiments exactly! I hate to see the plants cut off when many of them are at their peak that's why I haul in so many plants to let them produce a little more. I just got my new grow light set up in the sun room ( I have to supplement the light in winter for the sun doesn't come over the tree tops) I'm excited to see how it effects the plants I bought in to see if they will keep producing through the winter. I'll be doing an updates on my series of posts for growing indoors.
Cool, I'm curious to see how that goes.
The plants in the greenhouse will probably have stopped producing by the time it has gotten too cold, so there's no use to take them inside.
Same from the ones that are outside.
I am going to take some cuttings again, though. Last year I took 21 cuttings from the yacon plant. I kept them on the windowsill. Only 1 survived, and it was a very close call. Maybe I can try to put them in the propagator this year. Only, I'm not sure about turning on the growing lights... I want them to survive, not grow into huge plants over winter, lol
But if I can keep them at a steady temperature, I might have more survivors...
That was one thing I found about trying to keep things going for the winter is that they start really growing way before they would have naturally be growing out doors and it's such a trip to try and harden them off. I took a bunch of cutting from my fig tree that I will hopefully get rooted and potted up to share with others. Before I had the grow lights the fig tree would naturally start growing figs inside the sunroom as soon as the light returned. It lost most of it's leaves even though it was inside. I'm not sure how it will respond with light all year round. If it needs that break to fruit properly. It's all an experiment when I'm pushing the envelop of our growing seasons. One thing I found with growing cuttings on the window sill that their roots got chilled and they didn't grow so well. Maybe a spot where they can still get the light from the window but far enough back that they don't get the chill. I hear ya about being reluctant to turn on the grow lights. I'll be watching what the increase in the power bill will be as compared to the amount of food I get. I'm trying to keep it as productive as I can.
Gosh, you are getting frost already!!! I went and looked at an Atlas to see where you were the other day - I was trying to up my geography skills! I'd love to come to your part of the world and wander around your garden. I love your passion so much!
Yes we got an early fall here - summer was way to short but I just got a new grow light set up so I can continue growing on into the winter. Our place is right by the Prince Albert National Park. You would be most welcome to come for a visit but make sure it is in our summer time for we get 30 degrees below Celsius in the winter. We had a friend from Israel come and visit in the winter and when she had to leave it was 30 below. We had to drive her to the airport and she was freaked right out that we went out in such weather. (we did bundle her up real good but she was still freaked out.)
30 below!! Wow!!! That would be intense. I bet it's cosy at yours...
Posted using Partiko Android
We stick pretty close to the fires at that temperature. Nice and cozy inside and I have my new grow lights set up so I can garden all year long.