On 10/22/2016 9:42 PM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
And the tomatoes that didn't get killed in the freeze and
now going nuts. But, I doubt the will get a chance
to ripen before the next freeze.

if you pick them before they get frozen
they can finish inside. some may not make
it and rot, but others will gradually ripen.
we put them on a table in the garage where
they won't be disturbed. a few years we've
had enough ripen that way that we've even
canned some of them in November.


And I am looking forward to planting my over winter shallots
and potato onions. Over winter gardening IS SO CHEATING!

not at all.


I have four tiny little Goki berries facing the coming
winter in four of my ground pots. So far they are slowing
growing. They are so fragile looking when they are this small,
their branches are like human hairs. And the earwigs haven't
found them.

Thank you for the words of encouragement! There is a lot of
skill involved that I am learning.

you're doing just fine there IMO.


My bother in law use to say: "Hand me the can; hand me
the can opener; I am a cook."

Hand me the seeds; hand me dirt; I am a farmer. Chuckle.

gardener IMO a more small scale and
nurturing way to get good food.


There is a lot to learn in both cooking and gardening/farming.
Since starting all this, I have gains a HUGE respect for
professional farmers.

unfortunately the large number of farmers
around here are still mining their topsoil
and losing it. few cherish it and protect it.


songbird

With our small property and using raised beds and Square Foot Gardening,
we throw in some composted cow manure annually and mix the the mix up
again plus we pothole our leftover's greens etc. in the beds.

We still have the one Gypsy pepper producing fruit, now it is going into
its third year of growth and production. I'm hoping it keeps on going,
just imagine a perennial pepper going on. The fruit is smaller but
prolific. We have bags of chopped peppers and wife hauls a bag or two to
the church pantry for the poor every week. Right now the Japanese
eggplant is going crazy as is the okra, church pantry is getting two or
three bags a week lately. Alas, the temperatures are dropping pretty
good, getting up to low fifties then hitting low eighties again by
mid-afternoon. I think we might actually get somewhat of a winter this year.

George