National Empty Chair Day

Labor Day marks the end of summer (...not here in Bakersfield, California however.  We have a long, hard road to go.)  Labor Day weekend is a summer weekend with typical celebrations of barbecues and fun in the great outdoors.  In the garden, Labor Day weekend is just that...labor.

Farmer MacGregor has been busy preparing the shed for painting.  He dug out all the Celebrity tomatoes and their wooden supports.  The lawns have been mowed and everything is thoroughly irrigated.  The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage seeds have been planted in a bed that had signs of Root Knot Nematodes on the beans but no evidence on the Black Beauty Zucchini.  I'm rolling the dice with an investment of a few dollars for seed to see if these fall crops succeed.  Peas will be planted in the Celebrity Tomato bed were there was evidence of nematodes on the tomato roots; but the plants produced well.

In a nod to the viral observation of National Empty Chair Day that was spurred by Clint Eastwood's speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Maybelline's Garden offers a version of the empty chair.  The chair isn't used much during time when work needs to be done.  Others are so much more creative. If you should see this one floating around the conservative interwebs, you'll know a bit more about the story behind the image. 

Here Comes Fall!!!

Well, here comes fall planting.  It’s still hot enough for swamp pants.  It’ll be that way through October.  The seeds need to get in now that the first 3 Sisters bed has been pulled.  There’s a few beans that remain on the west end of this east end bed.

The photo is oriented north and each drip line has something planted (or soon will have planted) on either side.  It looks pretty pitiful now but so would you if you spent an endless summer under blistering sun.    Here’s what’s planted from west to east.  (That’s from left to right).  I’ve noted the dates the seeds were planted and the days to maturity.

• Lettuce – Merlot (8/15/11, 50-60 days) – loose leaf, dark burgundy.  It grew well last winter.
• Onions – White Lisbon (8/15/11, 60 days)– bunching.  These grow fast and will give immediate gratification.
• Beets – Early Wonder (8/15/11, 50 days)– dark, round, and delicious pickled.  It’s the seeds I had on hand.  I ran out on this row and need to grab more seeds.
• Cabbage – Copenhagen Market –  Planting is pending acquisition of seeds.  This variety has grown well in the garden a couple of years ago.
• Beets – Early Wonder (8/15/11, 50 days) – Do I like beets?
• Cauliflower – Early Snowball (8/13/11 & 8/15/11, 65 days)- tight and white.  Does great in this garden.
• Beets – Early Wonder (8/15/11, 50 days) – What the heck?  I plan on canning pickled beets.  Sue me.
• Broccoli – Waltham 29 (8/13/11, 80 days) – A proven variety in this garden.  Tender, tight, easy to grow.

At the top of each irrigation line are planted Buttercup squash(8/13/11, 95 days).  It’s a winter squash I’ve never tried; but Floyd’s had the seeds and I was game.  Sparkler radishes (8/13/11, 25 days) are sprinkled throughout.

This bed is about one month ahead of planting last year.  My goal is to harvest by Thanksgiving.  It’s nice to have goals.  Another goal is to survive swamp pants season and enjoy a cool – cold and wet winter.  Come on October!

The garden was pumping along nicely at Thanksgiving 2010.  Come on October!