Believe it or not, some things in my garden have been thriving in the cool temps! Here's what's going on now:
Salvia is thriving all around the little barrel pond. It blooms most of the year round, but in the fall it really takes off. The little fish in the pond are starting to go dormant, not wanting food or swimming the surface much anymore.
Garlic & Onion & Pansy Bed
Lettuces, this may be the last photo I get of them due to frost.
Mama got some new boots!!
A stray clematis bloom that thought it was springtime after it had already been pruned back! It proceeded to grow about 2 feet and start budding! The bloom was very pale compared to normal, but it was a surprise beauty anyways. That's gone now, thanks to the frost last night. Our area even had cherry & pear trees putting out blossoms 2 weeks ago due to the strange fall we have been having.
My deck containers are still going, the Giant Parsley LOVES fall and is going crazy taking over my Swiss Chard. These containers have been getting covered at night the past two nights since they are easily accessible from the house. I suspect their time is limited though.
My husband's awesome find at work - not sure what it's purpose will be yet.
And finally... don't laugh.... TOMATOES in the house??!! I rescued these babies growing out of a few fallen tomatoes in one of the beds back in October. They are both Heirloom, so there is no reason not to use the seedlings, since I save seed anyways. I didn't expect much, but they seem to be thriving in the kids' southern facing room. I went ahead and drug out one of the grow lights a little early and hung one above. If it never fruits, no big deal, at least a fun experiment, but if it does..... fresh tomato grilled pizza in winter!! Stay tuned...
I think I will have to admit defeat on the lettuces for the year, they are suffering frost damage bit by by over the past week, but this weekend we are actually supposed to get snow. I didn't do anything in the way of hoophouses or tunnels this year, so I think the fact that we got greens for this long is pretty good! Hope you are all getting ready for the Holiday... Me? Haven't even started shopping yet! I am doing sugar cookies today, and I cannot even describe how much I hate rolling and cutting and transferring them to the baking sheet! Every year I seem to forget how big of a pain it is...
I wanna try some Giant Parsley! It looks so nice in a container. Was it from seed?
ReplyDeleteSending hugs and sympathy about the sugar cookies. *shudder* ;)
Hi, I'm new to this blog but can't wait to read more! Have fun doing the cookies...I'm right there with you. I have to do a big batch of molasses cut-outs today. The dough is never very cooperative, but my extended family will kill me if I don't bring them to the get-together.
ReplyDeleteI hate doing the Christmas baking too........and now I don't have to-the oven is broken and the repairman is missing in action. I wouldn't really care except boy wonder will be home on leave this weekend, and all he talked about was "good momma cooking"......
ReplyDeleteI envy your late late garden. Bring some lettuce in too!
Woo-hoo! Nothing finer than tomatoes in the wintertime. I'm still waiting for mine to ripen, but I see a definite blush on one today :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never tried tomatoes in the house but we have a potted jalapeno that we've brought in and out of the house for several years now. Good luck with the cookies- that's on my task for this weekend but I really don't mind it much.
ReplyDeleteJudy
What a garden you still have!!! i bet the tomatoes will make it through the winter - peace
ReplyDeleteIt is SO strange seeing what you still have going in the garden when ours is so totally dormant and dead! (I'm drooling over the pics of edible greens!)
ReplyDeleteI fell off the cookie baking wagon this past week because of other necessities but will finish everything this weekend . . . hopefully earlier. I'm okay baking the sugar cookies but my family insists they be frosted. No matter how hard I try, my decorating efforts end up looking very Early Rustic Folk Art-ish!
Those tomatoes are getting cheers from me, RuralRose talks about growing tomatoes and peppers indoors over winter in her e-book. Worst case you can plant them out in early spring under cover.
ReplyDeleteSo being from Minnesota originally, you know that I'm *crazy* with jealousy that you have plants...
ReplyDeleteand not snow.
Fabulous pictures BTW~
Your garden looks fantastic, Erin. Sometimes I wish I lived in a warmer region. The lettuce looks very vibrant...and a nice mix of veggies and flowers.
ReplyDeleteDani, yes it was from seed. It's called "Giant of Italy" from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I will be very interested to see how long it keeps going. It loves the cool weather and has already withstood freezing temps and a little dusting of snow! To the others, my baking is finally done and we are now just eating the rewards and the drudgery is a distant memory! Anti-Supermom, thanks for stopping in, and in a few years I will be back in MN and re-learning gardening in a different zone, then you will be laughing at me. I will be the crazy lady with the grow lights in the basement and the cops showing up and getting disappointed when all they find is herbs & veggies :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sending me this link. I feel so much better about the garlic now! Did these indoor tomato plants ever bear fruit?
ReplyDeleteNo they didn't! They just got blossoms that fell off LOL
ReplyDelete