Garden Update – October 11, 2009

I’ve had some little broccoli and spinach seedlings for over a week now, but it has been raining every day it seemed.  I put on my work boots and slopped through the backyard to get them in the dirt this evening.  The rain gauge had 5″ of rain in it.  I tore out 4 okra plants that were getting huge.  I never did harvest the okra, not sure I’ll plant any of this next year.
These are a few lettuce plants I bought from North Haven Gardens a few weeks ago. This cool wet weather seems to make them pretty happy.
Here are some little spinach plants popping up from seed planted a few weeks ago. I’m told that spinach will grow all winter long in the DFW area. I hope they are right.
The pepper plants are still producing. I wonder how much longer it will be before they give up with our cold weather. I need to pick off some of the peppers and save the seeds. Those little bell peppers are the best tasting ones I’ve ever had. I’m going to plant lots of them next year.
The cantaloupe has pretty much died too. I was hoping for more production out of these plants. The fruit I did get was very tasty.
The pole beans I planted in the spring are still producing, even though I haven’t keep them picked. The pre-made nylon string webbing worked better than the natural fiber twine I used. I’ll try to stock up on this stuff for next year.
The pole beans I planted with my corn in the early spring are still producing too. They would have been better off with something to climb, but I just left them in the bed to add nitrogen to the soil for next year.

Here are some bush beans I planted a few weeks ago, just as a cover crop.
The tomato plants grew VERY TALL. I kept the sucker vines trimmed, as recommended by the Square Foot Gardening method and planted the plants only 12″ apart. I think these things would grow 20′ tall if you let them.
Several of the cloves of garlic I planted a few weeks ago are turning into plants now and poking up through the soil.
These are the new spinach and broccoli plants I planted tonight. These plants should last throughout the winter.
This is the bed close to the back door. You can see the little pea plants in a row along the wall.

Another garlic plant.

Peas on the left, cauliflower, and a broccoli plant surrounded by some herbs.  There are some tiny plants coming up to the right, which I think are some lettuce that I planted a few weeks ago.
The strawberry plants next to the fence have really spread out. I might have to transplant them somewhere else in the spring. There is also lettuce, spinach, cauliflower and peas here.

Lots of cilantro is growing in random places. It must have reseeded itself from this spring.
Buttercrunch lettuce is ready to start harvesting already.

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