Fall Plantings

Labor Day weekend was a great time to be in outside in the garden. It was warm but not hot and partly cloudy most of the time. It was also the last possible weekend I had to put in some fall crops. The almanac says that first frost will hit around October 30. That means whatever goes in has to be harvestable in 60 days.
There's still plenty of plants producing in the Givler Garden...yellow meat watermelon, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet 'taters, crookneck pumpkins, onions, green beans, carrots, and tons of peppers. This being first of September, there are lots of bare spots where earlier crops were harvested and we haven't filled it yet.
So I got out there with the action hoe in hand and filled those holes with good stuff. We planted spinach, lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, dill, and cilantro. Last week I put in turnips, and they've already sprouted. Fingers crossed for a late frost.
I was over at my aunt's house on Saturday, and her figs are in. They were delicious right off the tree. So, today at Lowe's, on a mission to find a patio umbrella, I bought a fig tree for $8. I also found $40 outdoor chairs on sale for $9.99 each. I got 4. I planted the fig tree, and am now typing this post sitting in one of the new chairs, feeling pleased with myself despite not accomplishing the original task. The garden is good.

Volunteer Mustard

I've heard other gardeners express displeasure over volunteer plants popping up in unexpected places.As long as they're not weeds, I love volunteers. There's something I really dig about the randomness of nature messing the unnatural even rows we plan out. This being the second year for the garden, I expected some unplanned plants. The garden did not dissappoint.
I got 3 black cherry tomato plants, two Thai hot peppers, two eggplants, and a yellow cucumber.
However, today I found mustard greens growing from seeds that came from the one mustard plant that germinated this spring. It bolted, flowered, and produced seeds that grew. Very cool.