Gardens in the Home Stretch

My garden and the Plot Against Hunger gardens are heading toward fall. There are peppers, which come on brilliantly at this time of year, flourishing tomatoes and some struggling summer squash and zucchini.

This is one of many peppers in the small Plot garden.

I am not sure there is going to be enough water for the winter squash we planted. While watering can keep them alive, rain makes them flourish, and of course, the light is changing, about which we can only sit back in acceptance (and cheer for our friends in the southern hemisphere who are benefitting).

The small garden also has a bounty of Juliet tomatoes still ripening.

Sarah, who likes the early morning peace of the garden had already weeded the small garden and was working on cleaning up the border of the large garden when I got there Saturday morning. I worked on cleaning up inside the plot and we left it in good shape.

The zinnias are still blooming, but starting to look a little seedy…

I had to do an inventory of vegetables in my fridge or baskets in the kitchen and once more escaped purchasing vegetables at the store. In fact, as I was running errands around the courtyard, a neighbor I had given some vegetables a few weeks ago reported on what she had done with them. It was a French recipe called a tian with tomatoes, potatoes and zucchini all sliced and beautifully laid together. It looked marvelous. I had thought about buying a potato at the store, but hadn’t, so in my typical fashion, I took the spirit of the recipe and ran with it.

Basically, it’s the veggies mentioned, sliced, laid on a bed of sautéed onions, sprinkled with thyme, baked for a bit, sprinkled with cheese and baked a bit more. I put my chicken breasts in with it all. Delicious.

Today I did some more garden clean up, ripping out the sad winter squash and taking my bean enclosure down. Inside, it was a mess and it was also time to rotate something else in there. Next year, maybe tomatoes.

Bees were all over the nearby basil in what I assume is a last chance feeding frenzy.

I did get more tomatoes, okra, and peppers and also came away with my flowers for the week. The Jerusalem artichokes are blossoming now, so they add to the cheerful late summer colors. I hope you have a lovely week.