Off-season harvest
October 6, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Green Journal , trackback
If there is one consistent guiding force in my life, it is total randomness. I fair very poorly when it comes to regular schedules and planned events. In other words, me and regular anything just don’t get along swimmingly.
That randomness seems to have extended to my garden as well. As autumn swept in with cooler temperature, apples and pear slowly but surely replaced berries, peaches and melons in our local farmers’ market. Pumpkins and squashes marched into the stalls with their vibrant fall colors.
Wait, it seems that the habitants of my small garden missed the memo. Tomatoes have been ripening with a vengeance.
Cantaloupes began to present their sweet and juicy selves just a week ago.
Water melons are just ready to be picked off the vines.
Sigh, even my fruit and vegetables have taken my personal trait – they arrive whenever they want to, disobeying the rules of seasons. Then again, how can I not love my freshly picked sweet cherry tomatoes when the store-bought ones are beginning to come from Mexico?
During the summer season, while I enjoyed berries, beans, and corn from the garden, I was guilt ridden when it came to daily watering, considering the drought and all.
It rained this weekend – just enough to wet our soil. But it rained after five months of unfailing daily sunshine!
Soon enough even my stubbornly off-seasoned fruit and vegetables will cave in to cooling rain and nightly low temperature. It will be time for beets, carrots, radishes, and onions.
No, it won’t be as exciting as the strawberries, melons and tomatoes. But I am looking forward to seeing them watered by nature rather than from our hose.
CindyW at Organicpicks
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Comments»
Oooo, that cantaloupe looks delicious!
I still don’t know how you folks grow anything with so little rain (so little meaning none!). You can’t feel too guilty about watering, if you want to have a garden at all. At least you’re not watering grass!
I was SO happy for the rain! I cannot even tell you. Though, seriously Cindy, when was the last time it rained in October? Strange, huh? It seems like the rainy season usually starts in December. Not looking a gift horse in the cloud though.
As I wandered through Saturday’s farmers market I thought about the impact of that rain. Mostly good but it will signal the end of some crops. As you say, that’s okay. I’m looking forward to pomegranates and mandarin oranges and persimmions. I almost sick of watermelon. Almost.
I had inner turmoil all last month. Should I water or should I just rip it all out? The tomatoes were still producing but with lack of water were starting to die. I finally ripped them all out and went fall veggie shopping. Now I have a couple of flats of lettuce, spinach and broccoli I need to plant! We’ve been fairly dry here with only a tropical storm or two dumping rain on us.