Gardening Glutton at Work

Big day in the garden today.  It has been a long time since I've worked outside so long as to feel totally tuckered out, but I did it today.  We started the day with normal chores, moving the remaining chicks outside and determining their breed... quite the task when they're still sorta like little puff balls.  When they were all separated into pens and safe from both the rain and the dog, I eagerly started my garden fun.

Husbandman tilled up a patch of a bed that had gotten grossly covered in weeds.  After the worst was done, I shooed him back inside to continue studying for his licensing exam and continued the tilling of 3 more beds.  Then I hauled multiple wheelbarrow loads of compost from the trailer to the tilled beds and hoed it in.  I transplanted my few remaining pumpkin plants, a whole slew of tomato plants and some celery seedlings.

Then I planted seeds.  Technically I'm late for fall, but I'm only doing more seeds of things that I can harvest through winter.  We're trying a lot of new things this season and giving up on the brassicas (broccoli and cabbage family) for now.  We'll try again after our soil is built up better.  Last year we were swimming in Bok Choy and we'd heard oriental greens and cabbages do well here so I planted some more Ching Chang Bok Choy like last year and added Wong Bok Greens, Michihli Cabbage, Large Leaf Tong Ho Greens, and Mizuna Greens (similar to mustard greens).  But is that enough for greens??? NO!  I planted some other things that we've tried and that should do well here but we haven't had tremendous success with yet.  Gailan Chinese Kale, Rainbow Chard, and Flamingo Pink Chard.  I also put in more Georgia Southern Collards.  I've tried all summer to get more started and the heat has killed every transplant so I'm hoping these will do well.  I can never have too many collard green plants! 

And I'm being a tad hopeful but I'm tired of buying lettuce.  Its still a bit warm for lettuce seeds to germinate but maybe with the cooler nights they'll still do ok.  All these are varieties I've grown before with good success.  Sweet Valentine Romaine, Slo-Bolt Looseleaf, Jericho, and Apollo arugula. 

I also did some root veggies which we've never done great with but we'll try again anyway.  White Egg Turnips, Early Scarlet Globe Radishes, and Cosmic Purple Carrots.

And finally I direct seeded some peas into a bed.  Again, I'm a bit early, but its a bed right next to the sweet potatoes so the only thing I can grow there now is something that will go up a trellis and not be swamped by potato vine.  I put in some Little Marvel and Wando.

Earlier in the week I had transplanted a good about of Dinosaur Kale, Curled Southern Mustard Greens, Green Zebra Tomatoes, Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, Chocolate Bell Peppers, Emerald Giant Peppers, Edisto Cucumbers,  Seminole Pumpkins, and Candy Roaster Squash.

Then I did just a few things for the pretty patch: Evening Scented Primrose, Nasturtiums, and Petunias. I'm still learning ornamentals and their seasons so everything is an experiment.  I know petunias are a cool season flower but I know nothing about their temperature needs for seed germination. 

The Rosita Eggplant is going strong.  I'm eating Thai Tender Amaranth weeds that are springing up in my now pumpkin bed.  Burmese Okra is just starting to produce (a second planting done about a month ago).  My drip irrigation wasn't watering my first planting of it and I just discovered that.  I'm done with drip irrigation.  Its all hose for me now.

Still waiting for a goat birth.  Stay tuned!