winter garden

[beavis]

First off, I have to apologize that I havent blogged in awhile. The combination of starting my new job (part-time) as a special education teacher and going to graduate school at night (full-time) has taken its toll on life in general. But if it wasnt for my connection to the garden, I would surely go crazy in a heartbeat.

The summer garden is all ripped out, except for a few lingering pepper plants that I will let go until probably January.

But, the exciting news is that the fall/winter garden is about half-planted and coming along nicely.

For now.

There is always the chance of vicious santa ana drying winds with record heat causing crops to bolt or dry to a crisp.

Then there are the invasive, non-native Bagrada bugs that can wreak havoc on all brassica crops (broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, collards).

Today I spotted a few of them and promptly dismissed them from the garden along with a few caterpillar larvae from the cabbage white butterflies that also use brassicas as a host plant.

Collard greens, bok choy, cabbage, broccoli, swiss chard, onions, rutabagas, turnips, arugula, lettuce, beets, fall tomatoes, mizuna, mesclun mix and MORE are in the ground.!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glad to hear you are staying busy enough to stay out of trouble. One of my sons and his wife are both going through something similar to you, but they also have a baby for their spare time. Sometimes it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get set up. Good luck with that part, but that wish is probably unnecessary. I think you'll make a lot of your own luck.

I had my first hard freeze and heavy frost yesterday, I'll still get some chard and kale, but otherwise, it's clean-up time. Yours looks real nice. Looks like you already have more chard than you can eat. I like chard. It is a good vegetable from many aspects, fairly easy to grow, usually really productive, and just good to eat.

Please keep the Bagrada bugs out your way. I really don't want any more of that type around here. From what I saw, they are still restricted to Arizona and Southern California. They look like they could be a real problem.

I'm not sure why, but those white cabbage moth butterflies were not a problem for me this year. Usually they hit the cabbage just as it starts to head and then feast on the kale until I pull it. If it wasn't for them, I could pretty much eat kale all summer. That's why I grow the flat leafed (Russian) type of kale instead of the crinkly type, so I can better look for the caterpillars and eggs.

Anyway, good to hear from you again. Stop by when you get the chance.

 

[digitS']

What Ridgerunner said, x2, Beavis ('cept that there about a new grandbaby . . . & choice of kale type ).

Tell us, when you have a chance, about your onions. Where did those come from??

And, is that red mizuna? I bought something called Ruby Streaks from Johnny's one year. It is supposed to be a Brassica juncea and I wasn't quite as happy with it as I suppose, I could have been. Still, it wasn't a mizuna and I'm curious about the non-green mizunas .

Steve

 

[beavis]

The onions I bought as you see them, they were from a local nursery in 6-pack starter packs. they are a white onion called texas grano.

yep, that is a red mizuna. Hopefully it will survive, everything thinks mizuna is tasty!

 

[digitS']

. . . everything thinks mizuna is tasty!

Well, the flea beetles certainly do! But, they aren't much around late in the season here.

Maybe pest pressure is a lot lower in November in your garden.

November!!? You know, I actually saw a butterfly just a few days ago on one of our gorgeous fall afternoons! Those afternoons may be over from the looks of what is crashing into the Olympic Peninsula right now (with the cold air that follows it)!

Fly due-South Butterfly! It is time to high-tail it outta here!

digitS'

 

[NwMtGardener]

*sigh* more cold weather coming our way steve?? Blah. I almost always get my weather updates from you, dont forget to update me when the SNOW is headed this way. Ick.

Beavis, i'm super jealous of your gorgeous gardens, but mostly of the fact that you've got lots of stuff going to town NOW. MT is really not that friendly for winter gardening. Heh!