More fall vegetables
I hadn't tried growing broccoli rabe before, but this experimental patch is flourishing. I'm waiting for a few flower buds before harvesting, but it looks delicious right now.
Maybe because the woodchuck ate all the brassica relatives last summer, the populations of cabbage whites didn't build up -- I've only seen one so far this summer. That's good news as far as the brassica leaf chomping goes -- a large spring red bor kale still looks lovely, and has been spared from being harvested for a stir-fry because of it.
I've already pulled out quite a bit of unproductive squash (the yellow squash/zucchini C. pepo sort), making room for kohlrabi, turnips, beets, lettuces, arugula, kale, mustard, and spinach (yet to be planted). Happily, I harvested some nice yellow, patty pan, and eight-ball (Ronde de Nice) squashes, actually my most successful squash foray to date, not counting my stalwart, delicious, and squash vine borer-resistant tromboncino squash.
It's hard to find the space for planting fall vegetables, when tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, and tomatillos are still hogging their spaces, but it requires being ruthless -- unless you're willing to dig up more beds -- a slippery slope towards gardening overextension.
Maybe because the woodchuck ate all the brassica relatives last summer, the populations of cabbage whites didn't build up -- I've only seen one so far this summer. That's good news as far as the brassica leaf chomping goes -- a large spring red bor kale still looks lovely, and has been spared from being harvested for a stir-fry because of it.
I've already pulled out quite a bit of unproductive squash (the yellow squash/zucchini C. pepo sort), making room for kohlrabi, turnips, beets, lettuces, arugula, kale, mustard, and spinach (yet to be planted). Happily, I harvested some nice yellow, patty pan, and eight-ball (Ronde de Nice) squashes, actually my most successful squash foray to date, not counting my stalwart, delicious, and squash vine borer-resistant tromboncino squash.
It's hard to find the space for planting fall vegetables, when tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, and tomatillos are still hogging their spaces, but it requires being ruthless -- unless you're willing to dig up more beds -- a slippery slope towards gardening overextension.
I'm almost afraid to say this lest I jinx it, but I've only seen one cabbage white so far too. The bug situation has been strange this year. It's been all-out war against the squash family. I've never had so many squash bugs, vine borers (even getting the butternuts!), and those little green worms that wreck the winter squashes. But I haven't seen a flea beetle or an aphid. The whites could be on their way any minute but I'm hoping nature will give the brassicas a break this fall to make up for all the winter squash we won't be eating.
ReplyDeleteNice cold frame. I've kept lettuce, romanesco, and even fennel going under heavy plastic over PVC pipe in winter here just fine. But that cedar frame surely looks a lot nicer and will be safer if we do get any really cold weather.
Boy, every garden is different! I haven't had any squash bugs (borers certainly), no flea beetles, but lots of aphids on some of the yard-long beans. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteI hope my cold frame looks nice like the high-end ones in the post; the pieces make me hopeful!