The kids have continued to tend their Fall crops and are
excited to see that everything (peas, turnips, lettuce, spinach and carrots)
have sprouted. They wanted to water
their plots yesterday, but in light of the abundant rainfall this weekend, I kyboshed
that idea and tried to get them to weed and help me tidy the Garden. Only Tim took my advice and weeded his
plot. He and Travyon also harvested some
tomatoes and peppers from their plot.
The girls focused on searching for sunflower seeds in the spent sunflower
plants I was cutting back. They brought
some girls with them from South of Main (a first). I’m
still growing zucchini, but the squash bugs found one of the plants and I sent
it to the growing plot in the sky. Like Neal, I also started cutting out and
pulling out neglected tomato plants and harvesting for Faith Mission. I also weeded the small food pantry plot and
thinned the turnips.
Barb and Frank have been MIA for a few weeks because they are
busy with their new jobs. However, a
very tired-looking Barb stopped by to mow the Block Watch lot across the street
and pull some spent flowers. She told me
to help myself to her overgrown beans and tomatoes. I pulled all of the pole beans I could, saved
seeds from the ones that had gone to seed and donated the rest to Faith Mission. Antoinette and Mihayla also helped by pulling
some of the tomatoes.
We're still being regularly visited by thieves who have been stealing much of my kale as well as peppers, and who knows what else. I'm positively furious. I had thought that Hope's freakishly large birdhouse gourd plant was making it easier for them to enter because it protected the thieves from the raspberry bush thorns. However, after she removed her plant, there was very little raspberry bush underneath it. (I then transplanted some bushes in that corner to stop that from being an issue next year). In any event, Hope ended up having an abundant gourd harvest. Sabrina and I each got one that had been growing into Chelsea's old plot. This is a pictures of the rest of the gourds Hope harvested. Her mother, Cathy, has no idea what they will do with them. It will another six months before they have cured enough to use in an art or birdhouse project. 
In the better late than never category, I have an update on the
raised beds built at the Ohio Avenue Elementary School. Faithful readers may recall that we obtained
some donated cedar (which I cut down) from Trudeau Fencing for a raised Garden project at the
School. Our Board member Cathy (from
Urban Connections) built and filled the beds.
The teacher and her students planted them during the final week of
school last May. When school re-opened
in August, the teacher sent Cathy a picture of their Garden project in all of
its glory. Neat, huh.
 |
| Newly built bed in May |
We’re expecting cooler nighttime temperatures this week, which will not be good
for our basil. I may harvest most of the
rest of it tomorrow for Bexley Pizza Plus.
This has not been a particularly great year for some of our basil. Our abundant sunflowers provided too much
shade over herb garden this year and that reduced our yield. And then our recent drought and cool nights
have wrecked its havoc as well.
I’ve been busy cooking to make use of all of my
produce. Last night I made a Rick
Bayless recipe for shrimp with passilla peppers and a recipe for green rice
(with poblano peppers and cilantro).
Yum Yum. Tonight will be hippie –stuffed
eggplant and maybe fennel chicken with mushrooms. Later this week, I’ll have sausage stuffed
peppers. Gardening’s not all work.
No comments:
Post a Comment