The Harvest Continues

The Harvest Continues

The other day I was in conversation with a lady when I remarked, “It is so dry, I have to continue watering the garden.”

She replied, “Surely the garden is winding down now.”

“Heavens no,” I said. “I have all kinds of things out there right now.”

And indeed, I do. Six out of the ten raised beds are still producing fresh vegetables. These include tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, snow peas and potatoes. The photos were taken on Saturday, October 7. I write this a few days later, October 12. Since then, I have dug about 50 pounds of sweet potatoes. Frost threatened to take out the frost tender crops early in the week, so I covered the beds with row cover. They have survived temperatures of about 35 degrees with little or no damage, though the cold has slowed ripening. The weather forecast indicates that I will have to cover the beds again next week. Unless temperatures dip into the high twenties, I should be able to continue harvesting until late October.

I have been planting some things in the greenhouse which will, hopefully, continue the harvest into November and possibly, early December.

More about that later.

The Gardener’s Guide to the Raised Garden Bed
The Gardener’s Guide to the Raised Garden Bed provides a wealth of information about growing vegetables in raised beds. The book includes chapters about building materials, siting, plant nutrients, soil amendments, irrigation, soils, composting and much more. Gardeners will find a monthly journal of garden activities to guide them along. Gardeners using row style gardens will find the information useful, as well.