Catching up...

Luxury winter pie pumpkin

September fourth and I haven't made an blog entry for approximately one month. Things are happening out there in the garden. My luxury winter pie pumpkin vine (the sole survivor of the gopher/microtus infestation) has two lovely fruits maturing on the vine. These pumpkins are supposedly delicious for pie – I've been using butternut squash in my pumpkin pies for a few years now, and they've been delicious. If these luxury pie pumpkins are sooooo much better, I'll definitely plant a ton more next year and hope for a bushel yield (unless the rodent population has abated by then–I'm working on it).


What else? Well the popcorn is starting to mature. Various winter squashes are putting on weight with time to mature before the cold weather. I've planted a few decorative things in the immediate patio area. Native dicentra, and a few other things. I've moved some of the crispy heuchera from the front yard (solar oven microclimate) to the part shade in the back. I continue to move the alpine strawberries from the way-back to the near-back. Those seem to like the heavier shade and a bit more water than the dry, baked area I am too scared to water for fear of gophers destroying my figs trees. Some successful trapping has occurred. Four gophers in two days, actually. And then a mole (they share the tunnels and I feel bad when I get one). My gopher to mole ratio is pretty high though, so, it is what is called collateral damage. 


The tomatoes which survived the ruthless attack from the gophers are almost exclusively cherry tomatoes. Black Aztec from Suzanne Ashworth via seed savers exchange. These are a very delicious tomato. Sweet and tart and copious in quantity. Also from Suzanne I've had excellent yields on the tomatillo plants I grew from her seeds.


Members of the cucurbit family have not fared entirely well. More than a few cucumber, melon, and squash plants were eaten by rodents. The rodents ate many of my bean plants too. They ate all kinds of things this year and left me feeling rather hopeless at times. A few of the bean plants that did make it through are starting to make pods! Including one that grew with the bamboo I planted in the front yard. The bean has spiraled up the stalks and is hanging seed pods in the air. My corn variety this year was popcorn and has not fared well with the invasion of gophers. I'll have a few kernels to try popping, but my crop was so impacted that I'll not have enough genetic variety to save the seed.


The front yard has sprung to life in the berm/basin area, after a spell of certain unattractiveness. Orange Cinderella pumpkins are growing out front. Various other plants went to seed and are re-growing from new seed - daikon, hollyhock, calendula. It looks sort of lush just now. I've been watering out there some.


The Thompson seedless grape in the front yard produced a few berry clusters this year. They were very sweet and delicious. The lemon tree has quite a few fruits on it, and is also draped in orange Passiflora caerulea fruits. 


I've planted some things for the fall garden. Peas, lettuce, arugula, collards, chard. I'll plant some spinach seeds I was sent when I renewed my Seed Savers Exchange membership. I hope they perform better than the German Pink tomato seeds they sent. It is a potato leaf variety of tomato and it produced not one fruit while it grew beside the prolific cappuccino cherry tomatoes from Suzanne Ashworth, across the way from the Black Aztecs, and near some Amish pastes - all of which produced fruit. Perhaps it is just the potato leaf varieties that don't work for me. Last year I planted one in a spot that I felt got enough sun but the plant did not produce. This year I planted a non-potato leaf type of tomato plant in a spot very close by and it fruited.


Back to planning the fall garden......