the sweet potatoes were one of the several vertical plantings i experimented with this year.  (especially after they took over the lower garden last year).  a lot of green, but only a little ‘fruit’.  too much nitrogen…and, now i know.  i planted this years sweet potatoes in the upper wall garden ( a long, but narrow raised bed).  they did fantastic.

this is from the beginning of the season

not the greatest pic, but in the middle of the photo you can see the tops of the sweet potato plants.  guess, i forgot to take follow up shots as the plants grew…this the best i have.  the taller plants to either side are the lima beans.

this is just part of the harvest, i had already taken some up the hill to dry in the sun.

next year i am going to find another location to grow them…and try to double what i planted this year.

i have already planted another blackberry bush in part of the sweet potato location

chickens are funny.  i think i say ‘they’re so funny’ as much as i say, “they’re sooo stupid”.  either way, still entertaining.

they have been “helping” me put some of the garden/flower beds to rest.  which translates to me removing whatever barrier was up to keep them out, and them jumping in and going to town, destroying whatever’s left.

vera

pickles

bonnie

jumo and maple…with the last of the summer crop of black seeded simpson lettuce (from the lower garden) 

pickles and flo ‘helping’ with the sweet potato harvest.  more on that tomorrow.

chicken coop…because i dont think i ever showed it

decided to pull more plants/flowers, even though they are still producing.  i guess its better to clean up the beds when 1. the weather is not too bad,  2. i actually have the time, and 3. you know its gonna look like s**t next week any way.

picked more lima beans…

spent a few hours a day the last few days harvesting vegetables, removing plants, tidying up beds, etc…the tomatoes and pepper plants are still going strong.  re-staked the peppers think ing that Sandy would give us more wind and level them.  we did not get too much wind, so everything is still upright.

worked on an interesting project this weekend, and will share it in the next few days…

just some pictures of what’s still growing…

this is an heirloom radish “rat tail radish”. its a podded radish that grows above ground.  there is nothing mild about this fall crop.  sometimes tangy and other times like horseradish.

these are the leeks that will over winter.  there are two beds of leeks.

Last week we lost delenn the hen, the only chicken I considered ‘mine’.
I have to assume by the lack of evidence it was a four legged creature.
Man I miss that stupid chicken…

gardens are still a going…just ran out of time to blog about them.  fall is definitely here and everything is still trying to produce.  i did pull the eggplants (whether it was their time or not).

the ‘herb’ garden in the front of the house looks good.  i will take cuttings from the rosemary, sage,  thyme and curry this week, to dry in the kitchen.  the swiss chard has just been used for chicken fodder this year. my coveted bay plant is a slooow grower, but i knew that when i got them, just not sure if i should dig it up or just protect it this winter.

the al-kuffa tomatoes that were planted are still doing great.  they’re such an odd plant. compact plant with dark leaves and almost perfect fruit. the one in the picture was picked last week.

the lower garden = tomatoes

fall

it’s getting colder. may need to start putting up cold frames sooner than i thought…at least at night in the lower garden.  

if it’s possible to be busy and lazy at the same time, then that pretty much describes today (and last week).

a couple of photos…

the orange icicle paste tomatoes are definitely my favorite this year. they absolutely hold their color when cooked,  making them great in tomato soup, along with garlic and onions (all from our gardens). i did throw in a couple of green zebra’s that were hanging around.

well, we’re officially into fall, so time to plant more stuff.  the boys decided they would pull out what was currently planted in their beds, and replant it with new veggies. one bed was completely emptied, while the other bed left some of the marigolds. 

we let the girls scratch at them for a bit.  surprising, they were finding grub after grub.  it’s like popcorn for chickens.

after they were done ( and i don’t say full, because i don’t think the girls are ever full), the boys picked what fall/winter crop they wanted to plant.  one planted two kinds of lettuce and carrots, leaving room for more seeds in a few weeks.  the other planted the following…

oops…been so busy starting another blog, that i guess i forgot to keep up with this one, but, its not like the garden(s) have forgot.  what’s new…and old.  the okra is pretty much done.  i have left a lonely burgundy okra on the plant to hopefully get seeds for next year.  actually, that’s the only plant that has slowed down.  basil will be ready to pick again in a week or so.  The lima beans are still producing. The marconi peppers, california wonders, and the poblanos are going nuts.  I always thought of them as a hot weather plant, but when fall gets close, they really turn up their production.  they tomatoes are still coming on.  which is good since i still want to can pasta/marinara sauce.

the fall/winter planting has begun.  soy beans, green beans, leeks, onions (my experiment), rutabaga, beets, radish, and lettuce, have been planted and are up and growing.  in the next few days, i will plant peas, carrots and more lettuce.  just finished an interesting trellis for the green bean.  i will post that later this week.

and now for the photos…

rutabaga, beets and lettuce

watermelon

the girls following me to the lower garden

they’re laying like crazy and i forgot a basket.  oh well, a hat works just as well.

zinnias, o’zinnias (still)

teddy bear sunflowers that were suppose to be @ 30″ tall.  they only made it to 8″.

holy poblanos, batman