Fall Garden Update

Every morning, puppies and I walk out to the garden to survey what my dear friend Shirley refers to as my queendom :)

Puppies are

beautiful old boy Tyson - 10 yrs old

bad boy Bandit - 9 yrs old

and sweet lovable Mouth - 14 yrs old

I was so excited this morning when I got to the garden...everything (and I mean everything) looks beautiful...so healthy and strong.  The Italian squash and butternut squash are growing like gangbusters and putting out all kinds of blooms and fruit. 

The Italian squash is doing very well, but because it's not so hot, it is growing slower than zucchini squash usually grows, which is a good thing  because I can keep pace using its fruit instead of ending up with 900 pounds of zucchini squash all at once!  

The butternut squash is setting fruit like crazy!  I have been combing my cookbooks and online sites for butternut squash recipes because sooner rather than later, I'll have butternut squash coming out my eyeballs!  And it looks like I'll have plenty for Thanksgiving dinner.

The blossoms of the butternut squash are so beautiful and the bees love them!  I spent a good bit of time this morning watching this little bee work this blossom.  He was having a good ol'time!

The first set of pak choi I planted are just about ready to pick.  As a matter of fact, this one is earmarked for dinner tonight!  The others from the first planting will be ready over the weekend and early next week.  I planted the toy pak choi and I'm glad I did.  They don't get too big and the leaves and stalks stay more tender when cooked. 

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The broccoli seedlings are doing very well also.  But here again I run into my problem of thinning!  What I've been doing as I thin the seedlings, I repot them and give them to my friends who have gardens!  I also transplant the seedlings into patches of the garden where I've already harvested stuff.  I transplanted three broccoli seedlings into the bare spot where I've been harvesting radishes.  Works like a charm :)

Carrots, spinach, toy pak choi & broccoli

The carrots have germinated nicely and after my beet thinning experience, I've already thinned the carrots!

The red cabbage are doing beautifully also!  I just have to go out there every day and pick the little green cabbage loopers off the leaves.  It's amazing to me in how in just one day, these little critters just seem to materialize out of nowhere!  But it speaks to my philosophy that my garden's best friend is my shadow :)

Isn't this one a beauty?!

My tomatoes are doing well and growing, but they are not ripening very fast.  We've had some very cool (actually cold) nights recently.  The temperatures have dipped to about 40 degrees...tomatoes don't like it that cold.  So I've had to cover them with frost blankets the past 4-5 nights.  Which is fine.  They haven't been bitten with frost.  I've harvested about a dozen cherry tomatoes, but none of the Celebritys...yet! :)

Since I thinned the beets they are just growing and filling out the soil...can't wait to harvest these beauties...I just love roasted baby beets!

As you can see, I am blessed with a beautiful vegetable garden that will feed hubby and me and many family members and friends through this coming fall and into winter.  For me, this is why I garden.  I love to feed people and feeding people I care about with vegetables I grew myself is truly a gift of love.