we picked the last of our jalapeno peppers yesterday. basically everything else was over for us several weeks ago.

i feel like we never had a real summer and now we are into winter, and by that i mean it was too hot to be in the garden, and when it cooled off i was doing volunteer work and then got a headcold, and so i never saw much of my yard except to water and plant. i wonder what winter will be like?

Dorothy,

At our house, there was no real damage even though we dropped to 30 degrees and had heavy frost that persisted on the plants for several hours. The plants I covered up were fine, but so were the ones I didn't cover up, except for the marigolds and Mexican sunflowers and they just show a little frost damage but not too much.

I had already stripped the plants of anything worth harvesting, but if the nice weather lasts another few weeks, I'll likely get a few more tomatoes and peppers, and maybe a bit more okra (usually it has dropped its leaves by now). I haven't dug all the potatoes and sweet potatoes yet, but did cut off all the foliage and throw it on the compost pile. Our ground is still plenty warm enough for the sweet potatoes but I am digging them whenever I have a little time to spare.

All my herbs are still fine, but many of them usually last well into November or even December of most years anyway.

Jessaka, This is a La Nina year, which means we "should" have mostly warmer than average temperatures and lower than average rainfall. That's not a good forecast for any areas that are already abnormally dry or in a drought state. Generally speaking, in La Nina years we see a bit more wildfire/grassfire/forest fire activity than we'd see in a wetter year.

I've linked the winter outlook for you.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Outlook

I had two surprises to day. First I expected all my garden to be dead, but all the fall stuff is still ok even tho it got to 24 degrees. The second surprise was the ornamental sweet potatoes.

I will try to post a picture of both.

Larry.

{{gwi:1134051}}

This is a 20 Gal. tote they are in.

It must not have gotten too bad here. I covered the tomato plants that I could with sheets. There was frost when i walked the dog this morning. Everything still looks good this afternoon.

Same here - all good. I covered the tomatos, too, and they are fine. But, everything else in the garden looked fine as well. My Night Blooming Jessamine is still blooming, as are many other heat lovers.

Susan

Larry, that's some crop of ornamental sweet potatos. What kind of peas are those? And what is the blue brassica? Broccoli, collards? Something else? And have you had a Napa cabbage make a head yet? Several of mine are heading but I haven't picked one yet. Will next week. They can take quite a bit of cold.

i didn't know that we were affected by el nino here. so more drought, which means when i can i should water my fruit and dogwood trees, i suppose. i don't like the idea of the fires either.

Dororthy,

I was really surprised. The 3 large ornamental potatoes combined weighted 28 lbs., but I dont know what type they were. I planted at least 3 different kinds because I got 3 different kinds of potatoes, some just had massive roots under them. All the others were more like regular sweet potatoes.

The fall garden is planted very thick. This is my first fall garden and I expected most of it to be dead by now and I would be tilling it in for green manure.

I had to go out and read the tags to know what I have planted.

Starting on the left you can see Elbon rye with my late planting of Ruby Perfection red cabbage, 9-22, mustard tendergreens, 8-11. Florida broard leaf mustard, 8-11.
Then I have 2 rows of Fordhook swiss chard planted on 8-10 &8-17. Vates collards, 8-18. Bonnie Major broccoli and Napa chinese cabbage planted 8-29, which are wonderful, have eaten two heads in salad. I plan on trying this again. Next I have the Dwarf Gray sugar peas, 8-19. Next is Golden Cross cabbage, Bonnie Hybrid cabbage and Flat Dutch cabbage, all planted 8-29, Next is Elbon rye, only planted 3 0r 4 days ago. Then White Icile radish, 10-22.
China rose radish, 10-22. Then a row of Hybrid # 7 spinach, which is not up yet. This is the second planting, the first did not come up either. next is Red sails lettuse 9-2. Next is French Breackfast radish (about gone) planted 9-2. Then I have Purple top turnips planted 9-6.

I am plauged with the 'Plant too early, Plant too close Syndrome', so its hard to tell just what I have planted, but I dont have to do any weeding.

Larry

Larry, that is an impressive fall garden. I have never done that either. I did plant, very late in October, some leaf lettuce that I have covered. Be interesting to see if it can survive.

What growing zone are you in?

Your garden is beautiful. I like the close plantings....weeds don't have a chance.

glenda

Thanks, Glenda

The garden has done better than I expected, but still no spinach after 3 tries.

I live in zone 6C, about 15 miles south of Ft. Smith, Ar.,
out in the country between, Greenwood, Hackett, and Midland.

Larry

Larry,

Getting spinach to sprout in late summer/fall can be frustrating because of warm soil temperatures. Here in southern OK, spinach generally doesn't sprout well until soil temps have cooled substatantially---which usually isn't until November.

You can increase your spinach seed germination by (a) putting the seed packed in the fridge for a couple of weeks before planting, and when I do this, I put the seed packet in a ziplock bag to keep the moisture out, or (b) soaking the spinach seed in the fridge in a cup or bowl of cold water for 24 hours before planting it.

I grew a lot of spinach the first few years we lived here, but grow swiss chard instead of it most years now. We like the flavor of swiss chard just fine, and it tolerates temperature swings and warmer temps better than spinach does.

Dawn

Dawn

I had planned to plant spinach in the refrigerator and had ask DW to clean out a spot. I use plastic rain gutter for my planting trays and had mad some to fit in the refrigerator, but from the look in her eye, I figured maybe the garden would be better.

I like swiss chard also and its about as easy to go grow as anything.

Larry

OK, I'll finally concede that it's over. Low tonight forecasted down to 28 and even if things survived that they certainly wouldn't the 21 forecast for Friday.
I've been harvesting and smoking a turkey. I did get lucky and make it to Thanksgiving. 3 lbs. of green beans, 200-300 green and blushing tomatoes and about 600 habaneros, jalapenos and cayennes. All and all a fairly good year considering all of the setbacks...

Keith

______________________________________________________________________________
The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. -- Gertrude Jekyll

And in anticipation of the low 20s forcast for Friday morn, I went out today and dug all the turnips and fall radishes, picked a big bag of mixed greens, mostly mustard and kale and a few radish tops, cut 5 heads of Napa cabbage and picked a bag of lettuce, some of which is turning bitter. (But daughter is coming for dinner tonight and she has asked for wilted lettuce so will use it that way.) Still have 7 heads of Napa under one frame and some late planted spinach and lettuce under another that I hope to keep going for a while. Also have three potted tomatoes on the porch each of which has 2 tomatoes and several blossoms on them.

I did get lucky and make it to Thanksgiving. 3 lbs. of green beans, 200-300 green and blushing tomatoes and about 600 habaneros, jalapenos and cayennes.

Ready to process. From top and clockwise: Habanero, Jalapeno, Jalapeno/Cayenne cross, College 64l, and Cayenne.(Freckles in background)

Processed.

Keith

Yea! Now it really is over, but you'll get to enjoy your produce for months and months!

Dawn

Keith,

Those are beautiful, all my summer stuff has been gone for a month or more. My fall garden took a pretty good hit last night but some of the produce will hang on for a while, the collards look the best, the Swiss chard look the worst.

I love your helper in the background, I'm a real sucker when it comes to animals, they can train me so easily.

Larry

Well, It's over for me for this year. I tilled in my fall garden yesterday after harvesting everything worth while.
I added another 200 to 250 sq. ft. to the south garden this morning and planted Elbon rye. It may be too late for rye but if the rye does not come up I may plant buckwheat in that spot in spring and just let it keep reseeding its self all summer. I am up to 2000 sq. ft. total garden space and that is more than I need.

Larry