Ahead of Irene, I cut down all the tomatoes and took out the cucumbers. With words like "dire! unprecedented! lethal!" being bandied about by meteorologists, and the prospect of 80mph winds, I didn't want to leave the pots on the roof in their top-heavy state. So, once that eggplant up there is ready, and the remaining peppers picked, that's it. Over. Fat lady has sung.
How can that be? Last September the little roof farm was winning blue ribbons. (That harvest festival will not be repeated. It seem it was a one off stunt, and not worth the bother again for the organizers. A pity - it was a great way to get to know other growers in the area. The food was good. It was f u n.)
Now look at it. Scrappy and ratty. I must plant something. Leaves, of course. But what else? From seed? The microgreens, yes. But what about pretty kale? Spinach?
Last nights' ragged sunset. We still have time.
snap peas, snow peas. leeks overwintering in a pot.
ReplyDeleteradishes and all those short season round things with greens on top you can eat.
How did the beach garden fare? I have been dying to know. I hope it wasn't too battered and frayed or burnt by salt spray. You could also plant some tomato seedlings and over-winter them inside (if you have space and a sunny window.) I have a Black Russian in a pot which I left after it had produced its modest summer crop because I admired its leaves so much and it didn't seem ready to die. I put it outside on sunny days. It proceeded to put out fresh laterals and produced a winter crop when there was snow outside. Now (almost spring in the southern hemisphere) it has fresh laterals with tiny buds and seems ready to go into a third season of fruit production. Someone told me later that tomatoes were originally perennials which I hadn't known. Those small round carrots over-winter well too and take up minimal space. (An award-wining restaurant in Scandinavia serves braised two-year old carrots. You've probably seen the story.)
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad they aren't doing the festival again. I wish there were more community based events like harvest festivals geared towards gardening. It's fun to meet other like minded gardeners.
ReplyDeleteBeets, they only take 60 days after the seedlings appear. I grow them in pots on my patio in Vermont. I just harvested 8 before hurricane Irene. They were delicious.
ReplyDeleteI love that skyline picture.
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