Sweet Potatoes from the Garden

On her way to Kroger Friday night, Charlotte caught me in the yard.  She stopped and said with excitement, "You won't believe what I just got from my garden!"

She said as she was watering she noticed something orange in the dirt.  Upon further examination she realized the sweet potatoes were ready for harvest!  (There are more to be harvested.)

So that you will know how large they are, I stuck my hand next to the box.  One of them was as long as my hand!

 Congratulations, Charlotte!

Diversity in Our Garden

Just in case the extreme heat and drought like conditions have you a bit discouraged, take a look at this list of things we grew in the garden this year.

In no particular order:

Eggplant
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Sweet Potatoes
White Potatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers - multi colors of sweet bell
Banana peppers
Jalapeño Peppers
Anaheim Peppers
Tomatoes - all kinds!
Okra
Peas
Carrots
Onions
Green beans
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Squash
Radishes
Turnips
Lettuce
Herbs - basil, parsley, cilantro, dill, rosemary
Flowers - zinnia , marigold, sunflowers

A few weeds. :)

Black Widow Sightings

 Northern Black Widow (source)

Watering in my garden tonight, my eyes were drawn to something moving in the corner.  It was a black widow spider!  I've found several in my yard and this one had a very similar web.  Unfortunately I didn't have anything with me to kill it.

April bone sent me this link about how to handle the spiders.  She killed a black widow last week on a tomato plant.

Be careful when cleaning out your beds.

Pickled Peppers

Have an abundance of peppers? Particularly banana peppers?  Did you know there is a painless preservation method?  It doesn't involve pressure cookers - and you can preserve one pint at a time.  Perfect!

Go here to learn more about pickling banana peppers or here for jalapeno peppers.

Fall Garden

Lots of people have been talking about the possibility of a fall garden.  Here is a chart that I have posted on the inside of my pantry (it was created by an Arkansan extension agent).

The inside of the wheel is the first of the month, the outer would be the end of the month.

Because it is a bit difficult to read, I've listed below what you can plant.

August
basil  (first of the month)
lettuce
mustard greens
kale
carrots
parsnips
chinese cabbage
beets
broccoli
cauliflower
collards
cucumber
cabbage
southern peas
snap beans
spinach (at the end of the month)

September
bok choi (first of the month)
pak choi
parsnips
swiss chard
carrots
spinach
beets
cauliflower
kohlrabi
collards
broccoli
cabbage
turnips
mustard
kale
lettuce
radish (end of the month)

October
cover crops (I planted wheat last year)
winter peas
lettuce
shallots
garlic
leeks
collards
kohlrabi
mustard
spinach
turnips

November
garlic, shallots
lime the soil
(protected because frost is near!)
salad greens
lettuce in cold frame
turnips
collards
turn the soil
cover crops

Sharing

Debbie Poirot would like to share from her abundance of mint, sage and oregano if anyone would like some.

She also wrote to tell me that:

Made roast chicken and fresh from the garden roasted cherry tomatoes and sage for dinner last night. The cherry tomatoes are incredibly good when they are cooked!