October Garden Update

Corn seedlings put in September

With our extended warm spell referred to by the weather people as the Indian Summer, when truly they should just call it a typical So Cal Early Fall.  Unless we have an unusually cold spell the temps are usually in the 70's to 80's through October.

So anticipating this I started some more seeds in the greenhouse in August and transplanted them last month.  The corn though not that tall has sent out tassles and I'm hoping will produce before it gets cold.  It was worth the effort to see if it might.

Corn today

I finally took out the giant zucchini that had all but taken over a quarter of the garden space.  Though the leaves were large and looked great, it had taken to putting too much energy into the plant and wasn't producing that many zucchinis anymore.  So I've put the ones I started from the greenhouse out.  One is really struggling as something was really munching it before I put up some protective netting.  The other seems to be doing well and is flowering so we should get some more before the colder season forces us to grow in the greenhouse.

My butternut squash is still going strong and a small squash is to be seen next to the Lemon Thyme that seems to love the cooler days.

This year I saved the tops of 3 pineapples I'd bought and after soaking them in water for a day, I planted them in the garden.  Have to admit these are the first I've ever had success with, so will have to see how they manage as it gets cooler.  May be able to protect them with a cloche style barrier when weather changes. Still I love that they've made it this far!

Big Boy Tomato

Yellow pear tomato

My tomatoes are loaded with green tomatoes, both the "Big Boy" variety and the "Yellow Pear" that will turn yellow as they ripen. 




Then there is the golden amaranth that is about ready to harvest.  For anyone not familiar with amaranth the leaves have a high protein content and can be used in salads or cooked like spinach.  The flowers produce tiny little granules that you collect and can cook the way you would quinoa or rice.  Or can be ground to make a flour.  It does take a lot to really get a good serving amount and my growing this was more an experiment in this small space, so I will save the seed for later planting.

The eggplant is doing much better without the intense heat we had and most of the herbs seem to like this much better as well.  I'll be putting cooler weather seed crops in the ground here soon for lettuce, cilantro and mesclun salad mix.  All these bolt too quickly during out hot summers, so hoping to get some now.