This is a really bad year for diseases in my Chinese cabbage. My Napa was pretty sad. And I had to totally toss one of my Michihili cabbages. This one though was fine on the inside. I have one left in the garden and I really hope it is good all the way through.
It is October, but still I got a decent zucchini. I think another is setting and I'll get to pick it this week. Usually now it is just the small ones that don't set. And this is my first fig. I'm thinking that my fig experiment might end next spring. I might rip them out. They aren't hardy here. The early crop never lives. And the later crop always ripens in October which is a bit too cold for it. I get very few fruit. the plants themselves look great and grow well. But without ripe fruit it might be worthwhile to put in something else.
And yet more carrots this week. It is good that I love carrots as I'm really getting a lot this year. I have a friend a few blocks over that is hoping I have too many as I've promised extras to her. Carrots are her favorite. So far though I've had no trouble eating pounds of carrots each week.
And the fall broccoli that I was afraid might not mature in time is starting to produce. I've got three more heads out there. One will certainly make it. The others are just starting. I hope they hurry. Also in the basket is a green onion that looks more like a leek, a single turnip, a very small handful of choy sum, a few baby zucchini, and a tiny cabbage that grew off the stump of the spring cabbages.
All in all it was a decent fall week. No major storage crops were harvested, but just what I needed for my meals. I did check on my parsnips that I planted pretty late in the season and I was shocked by how big they were. I didn't pull any out yet as I want them to see some good frosts first, but I dug down far enough to see that their shoulders are pretty wide. Now if they just go really deep I'll get a lot to roast up. I do like parsnips, but I've never grown them before. Part of me wants to harvest some now. I'm trying to be patient as I have plenty to eat at its peak right now.
Alliums: 0.49 lbs
Broccoli: 1.48 lbs
Carrots: 2.97 lbs
Greens: 0.37 lbs
Greens, Asian: 2.28 lbs
Roots: 0.13 lbs
Squash, Summer: 0.93 lbs
Weekly Total: 8.65 lbs
Yearly Total: 634.71 lbs
Yearly Tally: $1085.1
Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to show off, add your name and link to Mr Linky below.
I think I figured out why my napa cabbages did so poorly, the weather. Because it was such a dry August, the inside of the napa provided the perfect environment for slugs and other critters while inside they feast and did damages. Do you agree?
It was a really dry August and September here. But I didn't have insect problems. I usually have worse insect problems and not as bad disease problems with them. I think my issue was that I didn't water enough during the dry spells. So they were weakened. I think they need more water than the rest of the garden during such dry weather. All those lovely and huge green leaves.
I am waiting for frost to dig up my parsnips too. We did have several light frosts over the past few nights, but the basil is mostly still alive so it wasn't quite cold enough to sweeten the parsnips and turnip yet. Your carrots look perfect. Sorry about the Chinese cabbage and figs. I think it was a weird year. Our apples and grapes didn't do well this year but other years they have produced abundantly.
Those are some great looking carrots. It is a great thing to have lots of them too! I think I am going to give up on my figs too. I had one or two decent years, but most of the time there is no early crop and the late crop is just now coming on and frost gets it.
You are so right - that is a wonderful harvest week, especially for the fall! I'm loving the carrots - year one I had way too few carrots, year two I had none as slugs got to all the seedlings and now in year three I harvested my carrots too early and they were only half the size they should have been - hopefully one of these years I'll get it right.
Great looking carrots!! I have a friend that grows parsnips and he usually isn't harvesting them until Thanksgiving or even into December so I think you can hold off for a while if you want!!
Nice haul of carrots. I too gave up on figs, which I grew in a tub I could drag into the garage to overwinter. It started to leaf out in Feb-Mar, long before it was safe to go out, so leaves were spindly and weak. No Spring crop and it always got cold before the Fall crop ripened. Not worth the effort.
Gardeners always are pushing the limits of what can be grown. Gardening is about experimentation. Sounds like the fig experiment is about to end. In an urban garden, tough decisions have to be made. Maybe it's time for a vacation to southern California during fig season and eat your fill! In my Zone 5 garden in Massachusetts I used to leave parsnips in the ground covered with a deep layer of leaves and harvest in November or December as noted in the comment above. I've not had much success growing them here in San Diego. Maybe they're like your figs--we don't have what they want.
My first harvest Monday in over a year! I have been sickened by how squash vine borers have kept me from getting any squash in the past two years, but have had some other stuff. And today I have a question--how do you know when to pick green beans?
Vine borers are the reason I only grow C. moschata varieties. This year it was just Waltham butternuts. They are very resistant to borers.
You can pick a green bean anytime from when it starts until it starts to get tough and stringy. Often they are more flavorful when they are larger, but then there is a fine line between flavor and edibility. Basically experiment until you find the stage you like.
Hmm, I'm starting to think maybe figs are too hard to grow? I have two fig trees that are only in their second year - still small enough that I will probably bring them inside again this winter. No fruit yet and no idea when I should expect some. But the plants look pretty enough for now.
I'm amazed you even got one fig to ripen. They are problematic in my garden also and I live in California! They just don't like my cool coastal summers. I guess they really are heat lovers.
What a great fall harvest! I'm worried that I planted my fall garden too late to get much (my broccoli haven't even started to form heads yet!). I grew parsnips last year, but I planted them in my very compacted clay soil rather than in my nice raised beds and they were so weird and gnarly when I pulled them up that I just threw them all away. I'll be interested to see how yours turn out. Congrats on your fig, though sorry they're not ripening fast enough.
What's your secret with those carrots. I have never been able to grow a decent carrot, and I still haven't been able to get a single seed to germinate yet this spring!
I use a double layer of Agribon (remay row cover) to germinate them. I water every day until they start to come up. My garden soil is pretty good, slightly sandy. I find them much easier to grow here than at my last house which had clay soil and more slugs.
Nice selection there Daphne. I haven't been able to get to my plot for a few days so hopefully some crops waiting for me. If you get really impatient for parsnips you can dig some up and put them in the freezer overnight which acts like a frost would, to make them sweet. I've never done it myself but sounds like it would work.
Those are some rally great looking carrots. Mine never get that long or wide. I am excited to see how your parsnips do. I love them too but have always been too intimidated to plant them reading how poor the germination is.
This is my second year with figs, and I've also been unhappy with their production. Not ripping them out...I don't have your space limitations, so I can afford the luxury of a poor-producing plant. That, and I absolutely love fresh figs. I hope yours was delicious.
it's sad when you have to throw away produce due to disease, or if you have to pull out plants that, depsite your best intentions, just aren't working. sometimes we need to be tough and sensible. i hope you aren't turning orange, eating all those lovely carrots :-)
I'm hoping it will be a good year for Parsnips. Like you I haven't harvested any yet, but it probably won't be long before I do...
ReplyDeleteI think I figured out why my napa cabbages did so poorly, the weather. Because it was such a dry August, the inside of the napa provided the perfect environment for slugs and other critters while inside they feast and did damages. Do you agree?
ReplyDeleteIt was a really dry August and September here. But I didn't have insect problems. I usually have worse insect problems and not as bad disease problems with them. I think my issue was that I didn't water enough during the dry spells. So they were weakened. I think they need more water than the rest of the garden during such dry weather. All those lovely and huge green leaves.
DeleteIf there is one thing shop bought can't compete with it's homegrown carrots
ReplyDeleteGreat haul of carrots, and I can just see the other veggies going into a wonderful stir-fry!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for frost to dig up my parsnips too. We did have several light frosts over the past few nights, but the basil is mostly still alive so it wasn't quite cold enough to sweeten the parsnips and turnip yet. Your carrots look perfect. Sorry about the Chinese cabbage and figs. I think it was a weird year. Our apples and grapes didn't do well this year but other years they have produced abundantly.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great looking carrots. It is a great thing to have lots of them too! I think I am going to give up on my figs too. I had one or two decent years, but most of the time there is no early crop and the late crop is just now coming on and frost gets it.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right - that is a wonderful harvest week, especially for the fall! I'm loving the carrots - year one I had way too few carrots, year two I had none as slugs got to all the seedlings and now in year three I harvested my carrots too early and they were only half the size they should have been - hopefully one of these years I'll get it right.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking carrots!! I have a friend that grows parsnips and he usually isn't harvesting them until Thanksgiving or even into December so I think you can hold off for a while if you want!!
ReplyDeleteNice haul of carrots. I too gave up on figs, which I grew in a tub I could drag into the garage to overwinter. It started to leaf out in Feb-Mar, long before it was safe to go out, so leaves were spindly and weak. No Spring crop and it always got cold before the Fall crop ripened. Not worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteGardeners always are pushing the limits of what can be grown. Gardening is about experimentation. Sounds like the fig experiment is about to end. In an urban garden, tough decisions have to be made. Maybe it's time for a vacation to southern California during fig season and eat your fill! In my Zone 5 garden in Massachusetts I used to leave parsnips in the ground covered with a deep layer of leaves and harvest in November or December as noted in the comment above. I've not had much success growing them here in San Diego. Maybe they're like your figs--we don't have what they want.
ReplyDeleteMy first harvest Monday in over a year! I have been sickened by how squash vine borers have kept me from getting any squash in the past two years, but have had some other stuff. And today I have a question--how do you know when to pick green beans?
ReplyDeletehttp://planetpooks.com/harvest-monday-oct-13-2014/
Vine borers are the reason I only grow C. moschata varieties. This year it was just Waltham butternuts. They are very resistant to borers.
DeleteYou can pick a green bean anytime from when it starts until it starts to get tough and stringy. Often they are more flavorful when they are larger, but then there is a fine line between flavor and edibility. Basically experiment until you find the stage you like.
What variety of carrot is that in your picture? They are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThey are Mokums.
DeleteHmm, I'm starting to think maybe figs are too hard to grow? I have two fig trees that are only in their second year - still small enough that I will probably bring them inside again this winter. No fruit yet and no idea when I should expect some. But the plants look pretty enough for now.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed you even got one fig to ripen. They are problematic in my garden also and I live in California! They just don't like my cool coastal summers. I guess they really are heat lovers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great fall harvest! I'm worried that I planted my fall garden too late to get much (my broccoli haven't even started to form heads yet!). I grew parsnips last year, but I planted them in my very compacted clay soil rather than in my nice raised beds and they were so weird and gnarly when I pulled them up that I just threw them all away. I'll be interested to see how yours turn out. Congrats on your fig, though sorry they're not ripening fast enough.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your secret with those carrots. I have never been able to grow a decent carrot, and I still haven't been able to get a single seed to germinate yet this spring!
ReplyDeleteI use a double layer of Agribon (remay row cover) to germinate them. I water every day until they start to come up. My garden soil is pretty good, slightly sandy. I find them much easier to grow here than at my last house which had clay soil and more slugs.
DeleteI think that's my problem, I don't think I'm keeping them moist enough while the germinate.
DeleteNice selection there Daphne. I haven't been able to get to my plot for a few days so hopefully some crops waiting for me. If you get really impatient for parsnips you can dig some up and put them in the freezer overnight which acts like a frost would, to make them sweet. I've never done it myself but sounds like it would work.
ReplyDeleteVery nice carrots. Yes roasted parsnips are the best but it will be worth waiting until after a frost or two.
ReplyDeleteNice assortment. I ripped my zucchini all out. Your carrots are so beautiful!!!! Nancy
ReplyDeleteDaphne-
ReplyDeleteThose are some rally great looking carrots. Mine never get that long or wide. I am excited to see how your parsnips do. I love them too but have always been too intimidated to plant them reading how poor the germination is.
This is my second year with figs, and I've also been unhappy with their production. Not ripping them out...I don't have your space limitations, so I can afford the luxury of a poor-producing plant. That, and I absolutely love fresh figs. I hope yours was delicious.
ReplyDeleteit's sad when you have to throw away produce due to disease, or if you have to pull out plants that, depsite your best intentions, just aren't working. sometimes we need to be tough and sensible.
ReplyDeletei hope you aren't turning orange, eating all those lovely carrots :-)
Wonderful vegetables!
ReplyDelete