Garden Tuesday – 09/15/09 The Wind Down

Happy Garden Tuesday! Well, the bulk of sunny summer days are behind me now, and the garden is showing signs, uh make that "shouting out" signs, of winding down. There are a few stragglers though, and I’m happy as a clam for them. Happy as a clam? Where did that phrase come from? Did someone actually talk to said clams to determine their emotional status?Speaking of emotional status, I’m walking on air at the sight of these babies. The tomatoes just keep on coming and to my delight still have wonderful flavor. While I totally miss being able to go pick lettuce for my lunchtime sammie, I’m still able to grab a garden fresh tomato to adorn whatever is inbetween the bread slices. I’m going to make a roasted cherry tomato sauce today in an attempt to make a dent in this abundant cherry tomato harvest. Who knew that one cherry tomato plant would kick out so much fruit!While my basil and oregano are toast at this point, in fact I ripped them out this past weekend, some of the herbs like sage, rosemary, and parsley are growing like gang busters. What an expression ... gang busters. I don’t think I want to know the origins of that little phrase.Downey mildew or powdery mildew, I don’t know which is which as I'm not up to speed on various species of mildew, destroyed my fully loaded zucchini plants. I was not a happy girl.This didn’t float my boat.And now, drum roll please, the moment you’ve all been waiting for ... I harvested the garbage can potatoes. The verdict on this growing method? Lots of SMALL potatoes. The potatoes themselves look and taste great. As you can see, not one is tarnished in any way. Not one. No disease, no distress, no problems at all. I was a bit bummed at the diminutive size of these famine fighters, and my best guess is that although the plants kick out lots and lots of tots, the weight of the dirt in the deep cans prevents the taters from getting large. Despite not tamping the dirt down, you’d be surprised at how the dirt packs down tight in the cans. I didn’t count the potatoes, but I figure I got about 5 generous meals worth out of each can. The best part about this was getting the kids involved. So, if you want lots of little potatoes ... use the can. If you want fewer large ones, stick to the garden.All these tomato pictures are of three different bowls of the red harvest. I tell ya, I got these red orbs everywhere. What’s going on in your gardens? Are you winding down for Fall? I didn’t grow any pumpkins, but would love to hear if any of you have! Tune in next time for Fall garden transitioning time.