Fall Edible Garden 2011

It is still so hot here, but it's time to start focusing on planting veggies again. I must force myself to go outside because knowing it's time to garden is not the same as feeling like it's time to garden. This year in particular has been extra rainy in my yard. We get rain downpours not just once a day now, but sometimes as often as three times a day. I lost power yesterday for an hour due to lightning strikes.

This year I will be growing my tomatoes on the driveway again after the virus-bug disaster that resulted from planting them in the backyard with all the other veggies. It isn't the prettiest arrangement, but it works for me. I have planned to improve my "method" from last fall too. I will modify the electrical conduit trellis/rebar system I use for my raised beds to secure the tomato cages so they won't fall over in the wind. This is not reflected in the picture because I haven't done it yet. The pots will also need to be moved to the other side of the driveway as the angle of the sun changes later in the season.     

I will be trying the following tomato varieties this year: Great White, Earl's Faux, Olive Hill, Frank's Large Red, Orange Russian 117, Tlacolula Pink, Red Zebra, Green Zebra, Delicious,  Indian Stripe, Grandfather Ashlock and the Everglades Tomato.

I just ripped out one of my beds and added peat moss and Black Kow. I left two eggplants and two peppers because they still seem to be doing ok from the spring planting. I plan on adding some sunflowers, herbs, and beans this week to that bed. In the process of renovating the bed I harvested my first sweet potato ever! I planted just one slip in that bed and I was so happy to find a little sweet potato. It was perfectly healthy and wonderful in every way just small because I harvested too early. This makes me excited about the harvest from my real sweet potato beds. I am growing Beauregard, Edna Evans, and Southern Queen.

I also started some more of the excellent Corinto cucumbers in the Earthbox. I killed one by bending the stem too far, but the new seedling is already growing. I also have a giant pumpkin growing. It did have one fertilized pumpkin on it, but it is rotting from all the rain :( It already has new female flowers though/ :) I'm also growing a Jarrandale pumpkin, but there's no fruit on it yet. I have the another Earthbox with blue popcorn. It blew over in the wind last night, but the stalks aren't damaged.  I have one empty Earthbox, which I think I'll put melons of some sort in.

I started some winter garden seeds inside. More about that later.

I just wish it would get cooler already so I can get everything accomplished. I also need to get to the roses....My ambition for my garden exceeds my square footage and my physical and economic resources.