Garden 2009: Okra and Sweet Potatoes

Our okra is a little slow in starting to produce this year. We've only harvested a few pods thus far. Okra is a southern crop that always seems to thrive in the heat of summer. I wonder if this summer has been too mild and pleasant for it to do well?

The sweet potato vines have filled their enclosure. I hope they are making lots of sweet potatoes underground. Our rabbits do a good job of keeping the vines pruned so they done sprawl all over the garden -- whether we really want them to prune or not.

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Garden 2009: Okra and Sweet Potatoes

Garden 2009: Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato sets a couple of days after Jo transplanted them into the garden. I'm sure they appreciated a couple of days of moderate temperatures and overcast skies after being set out.

The wire enclosure is necessary to keep out rabbits -- and any deer that might get past the electric fence surrounding our garden. We would share with the critters, but the critters tend to eat everything. Deer seem to especially enjoy sweet potato vines.

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Garden 2009: Sweet Potatoes

Journal: Tuesday, 10/21/08

Morning:

After several days of abundant sunshine, today began overcast.  Several days of fall funk in our forecast.  63º F (17º C) @ 10 AM.

The sun partially burned through our overcast, producing a bit of hazy sunshine -- more sunshine than I expected.   71º F (21º C) @ noon.

Since most of our fall wildflowers have already bloomed out, the zinnias in our garden are a very popular place among the butterflies and other pollinators.  A group of monarchs is evidently migrating through.  I saw several in near pristine condition.

Afternoon:

Dug potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Sweet potato harvest was on the low side of pathetic.  Yukon Gold potato yield was worse.  Read about our potato harvest on Nature in the Ozarks.

The fallen and fermenting persimmons are attracting many insects.  I hope this bumble bee didn't get pulled over for DUI.

Evening:

Twas and outstanding day for creating dirty dishes for me to wash.  This happens when Jo cooks a big meal.  (Which doesn't happen often and that's fine by me.)  A counter full of dishes needing washed also happens when everything we eat during the course of the day empties a leftover's container.  Today was definitely an empty container sort of day.  I thought I'd never finish washing all those dishes.

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Journal: Tuesday, 10/21/08