So most of the plants in our gardens are done for the spring/summer. The cabbage and broccoli has been cleared out. Most of the carrots picked though some remain in the ground due to storage issues. I wonder just how big a carrot can get? I guess we’ll find out. The squash and zucchini plants have been fed to the goats. The tomatoes and corn are still going strong, but the melons are on their last leg. I picked the last big one today and it was perfect! Unfortunately the gourds have pumpkins have yet to bear any more fruits so I think we’ll be saying goodbye to them to make room for new stuff.
The salad garden is ready and waiting. It got a fresh layer of compost and I’ve already planted some cilantro, lunar white carrots and baby carrots. I wanted to do some edemame, but I’m concerned it’s too late in the year. (Note: right after I wrote this, I went out and planted 10 each of edemame and snap peas just to see what happens). I’ll probably mix in some different leaf lettuces, another round of beets, and whatever we don’t have room for in the pasture garden.
We started clearing the pasture garden. We have a pretty large section that we layered with compost today and I hope to start planting this week. We’ve used up most of our compost pile and have started a new one. The new one is right next to the pasture garden for convenience rather than waaaaay back in the actual goat pasture. It was a long haul. We put it back there out of concern for smell and bugs, but honestly it doesn’t smell. Our compost is made of kitchen scraps, egg shells, garden discards, chicken poop, hay and cedar bedding. It actually smells kind of good and earthy. And there’s only bugs if you don’t keep the new addition of discards adequately covered.
The first thing I’ll be planting is broccoli. We’re going to plant a couple different kinds: Waltham, Fall and Calabrese. I had no idea broccoli plants got so big…like 4-5 feet tall and 2-3 feet across. They really need the space of the pasture garden as they made a big wall in the salad garden. I think they also needed more sun. The pasture garden has no shade whereas the salad garden sits under the large branch of a pecan tree which is currently heavy with leaves, pecans and shade. It’ll be several months before the leaves fall allowing pretty full sun in the salad garden and by then it’s too late to plant anything.
Last week a huge branch of this particular pecan tree fell and perched precariously in the V of the tree trunk, luckily missing the salad garden and the dog kennel. We kind of stared at it for a few days plotting it’s demise and removal. Thankfully, John has a weird gift of knowing how to properly bring down a large limb without destroying too much around it. It was big and heavy, but is already cut up into logs and kindling for winter fires. We do have to have a bonfire in the next week or so to get rid of some of the scrawnier branches and leaves. There is a lot left to burn. Too bad the weather isn’t cooler…it would make a bonfire a lot more enjoyable.
Next we’ll be planting the lettuces, potatoes, onions, cucumber, cabbage and spinach. It seems kind of weird to be planting stuff so late in the year, but I guess I’ll give thanks to mild winters and see what nature has in store.