Fall Garden 2010: FAIL

Lettuce (and weeds)

Our fall garden was a big FAIL this year.  It was just too hot, dry and buggy during the late summer when the seeds and seedlings went into the garden.  Few of them survived, despite several replantings.  We did harvest a few turnips.  Jo pulled the last of the turnips recently, but they were pithy and not edible.


On Tuesday, Jo pulled the row covers off what should have been our lettuce and spinach beds.  A very few small lettuce plants remained in addition to a half dozen or so spinach plants -- plus lots of happily protected weeds.  Jo harvested the spinach and stir fried for supper.  That was the end of fall garden.

Spinach (and weeds)

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Fall Garden 2010: FAIL

Garden 2009: First Frost in the Fall Garden

Fall Garden 2009: Our first frost was this morning (10/18/09) so Jo and I covered the wire hoops over our fall garden bed with plastic. Around mid-day Jo opened up the ends of the tunnel so everything inside wouldn't be cooked by today's full sunshine.

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Garden 2009: First Frost in the Fall Garden

Jimson Weed Seedpod

Jimson Weed seed pod.

From Wikipedia: Datura stramonium, known by the common names jimson weed, angel's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, datura, moonflower, and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds is, along with Datura metel (zombie cucumber), a common weed in the Solanaceae (the nightshade family). It contains tropane alkaloids that are sometimes used as a hallucinogen. The active ingredients are atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Due to the elevated risk of overdose in uninformed users, many hospitalizations, and some deaths, are reported from recreational use.


Sunday, 9/27/09:

Sunday was another good day for being outside. I mowed again. With any luck, I might be able to finish the garden area tomorrow. Jo finished weeding our fall garden bed.

During the evening, I replaced the washing machine supply hoses. The hose on the hot water side sprang a leak while Jo was washing this morning. (A good reminder that one really should shut off the washing machine water supply valves when leaving on a trip.) I also replace the top thermostat on our hot water heater. Most of the time, it worked fine, but every once in a while the water coming out of our hot water heater was way too hot.

Another cold front is on the way down. It's approach caused a moderately gusty south wind and rapidly rising temperatures today. The temp climbed all the way up to 86°F/30°C and was still 77°F/25°C at midnight. The approaching front is not forecast to be dry.

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Jimson Weed Seedpod

Garden 2009: Fall Garden

We planted a small fall garden for the first time in several years. It's doing well, but we're getting way behind with routine garden upkeep because our weather has been so wet. There are places where water is still standing out in the garden.

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Garden 2009: Fall Garden