We have had a time already this year with the weather! It's like Mother Nature is trying to go back to the winters of years past, when the river would freeze and people drove their cars across to the other side! Hopefully, that's not the case.
I was able to pick one three pound sugar pumpkin after the cold nights had killed the vines. It should ripen up nicely out in my garage.
Only a small amount of scallions (1 ounce) had grown enough to be harvested while unprotected from the cold. They can be used in cooking or will be tasty in a salad.
After pulling a few leeks that weighed 3/4 pound, there are still transplanted leeks "growing" in the garden. However, the seedlings from the seeds that I planted on August 26th, remain hardly as big in diameter as a ballpoint pen refill, and have been that way for, actually, months. Do any of you know about how long leeks take to grow to full size? Was August too late to plant leek seeds? We still have reasonably warm weather to the middle of October. I would have thought they would have grown to medium size by now. They won't be in my garden next year.
Carrots are stubby, but sweet! Not sure if I will try them again, as I have to consider the yield of productive crops.
After washing and trimming, those carrots weighed in at 6 ounces. That's better than the last two years!
If the frost, snow and sustained cold weather wasn't enough, we got this the first thing this morning!
Brrr!
(It would seem that Blogger has upgraded itself to allow video posting.)
That's all for this week's harvest. I'm expecting some additional carrots by the end of the month since I only picked a few of the bigger ones for this harvest. Additionally, there will be Swiss chard, buttercrunch lettuce and collard greens that will be harvested for the last Harvest Monday of the year.
Everybody stay warm and we'll see you next time on Harvest Monday!
Thanks for visiting!
Veggie PAK
Hi Veggie PAK; sometimes those old veg just seem to take FOR EVER to grow, don't they? Gardening sure teaches you patience. I'd be interested to hear your views on my post concerning VSR (http://marksvegplot.blogspot.com/2010/11/vsr.html) because some veg are not worth the space/ time you devote to growing them.
ReplyDeleteSugar pumpkin in December, that's pretty cool! Will it be used for pie baking, or is it better suited for cooking? I stayed away from all pumpkins this year because I thought they would take up too much room in my tiny garden. But I'll have more room next year, so maybe I'll consider a plant or two. We've been getting lots of cold and snowy weather here in central Indiana, too. It's been non-stop snow (either new snow falling or old snow not melting due to frigid temps) all December long so far!
ReplyDeleteBoy, You had had more snow in Va. then we have had ia PA!! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who grows stubbly little carrots!!
ReplyDeleteI still have leeks in the garden that I planted in the Spring. They are kind of slow.
Good harvest this week! Leeks are a very long growing crop. I put mine in the group as transplants in May and then harvest them in the fall into early winter. I find they do not hold up well to really hard freezes but are fine with frosts and cold nights.
ReplyDeleteMark, I went and looked at your post and found it VERY interesting! I didn't call it VSR at the time, but I began tracking production of my crops years ago, because I wanted the information for the purpose of comparison and I enjoy using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. When reviewing the spreadsheet data, I came to the realization that just because you CAN grow something doesn't mean you SHOULD. For instance, in 2008, I had a 28 foot row of Ichiban eggplants. That row produced 86 pounds of eggplant, or to be more specific, 333 fruits! I couldn't possibly eat all that, and I ended up giving most of it (and my labor and time) away. In 2010, I had 3 plants of eggplant, and had gone back to the Black Beauty variety. While eggplant are good, there are other vegetables that I like better. Also, eggplant take up the space for almost the entire year. Too much investment of space for the return in my opinion. I'll share some additional thoughts at your VSR posting in a few days after I ponder the subject some more.
ReplyDeleteI track crop failures as well. The reason is that I need to know what my space investment has been for non-productive crops. During 2010, I used 192 row feet of space to try to grow new crops that didn't germinate or didn't flourish after germination. They were subsequently replaced with another vegetable. In my view, that was lost production time. Not to say that I'm hard core, but it is to say that we need to know the results of our efforts, good as well as bad. That helps us make informed decisions for the future.
Thanks,
Veggie PAK
thyme2garden, I think I would like to use it for some pumpkin bread or cookies. Pumpkins do end up taking more room than you normally plan to give them. I will be planting a few of those seeds from the giant pumpkin somewhere other than my garden in the spring. Maybe I'll plant them in a LARGE container near my grapevines. Then, they can grow out and run on the ground under the wires without bothering the roots of the grapes. It was 24 degrees here this morning, when normally it should have been almost 50. My garden looks frigid and crunchy this morning.
ReplyDeleteRobin, we're supposed to get three days of strong possibilities of snow flurries this week. Oh Spring, hurry up! This will be the last time I plant leeks in my garden. Too much time taken with too little results.
kitsapFG, Thanks! Last year, my leeks survived the snow, but there wasn't a long freeze that would have ended them.
Thanks to each and all of you for visiting and sharing your comments!
Have a great vegetable gardening day!
Veggie PAK
Brrr. We got our first tiny snowfall last night. I'm sure it will all be gone by this afternoon as it was really less than a dusting. Only enough to say it snowed.
ReplyDeleteI look at what failed too, but I have a tendency to beat my head on a crop before I give up. I keep trying for a few years. Then I give up. Leeks can be persnickety. I wonder how well they will grow around here.
Daphne, our two and a half inches of snow from yesterday is frozen where it tried to melt, and there is a sustained wind of 30 with gusts to 45. It's a good thing those winter crops can take it! If the ground froze, they wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteI generally try a vegetable at least three times to make sure it wasn't a fluke that it didn't grow. Especially when I like the vegetable and want it to grow. This is my fourth and last time for trying to grow beets. Onions already were voted out after four trys too. Just something about root crops for my garden. It just won't have them.
Thanks for visiting and sharing your comment!
Veggie PAK
I grew those stumpy looking carrots in my first year, although okay I too would perhaps grow a different variety. Bet they still taste better than supermarkets ones though :) Happy eating and growing.
ReplyDeletemangocheeks, Thanks for visiting! I think I'll try a different one next year. Maybe in a bigger pot too. Take Care,
ReplyDeleteVeggie Pak
The weather has been wild around here as well, we keep cycling between hot and cold - highs in the 90s in early Nov to lows in the 20s before Thanksgiving to a high of 80 this last wekend and now it's cold and rainy again. The garden is confused and so am I...
ReplyDeleteLeeks seem to take forever in the garden, with some protection maybe your August planted leeks will size up for you in Spring? (Although, it does seem as though you have been hit some low temps which could do them in.....wish I had more to share, this past year was my first time getting them to size up past pencil thickness.)
ReplyDeleteMichelle, You're right! The garden is confused and so am I! The only thing that isn't is the compost pile. It just keeps cookin'!
ReplyDeleteRuth, Thanks for the info. I'm not even sure what variety I have. I just picked up some seeds to get them started so I could have a replacement crop of something when my tomatoes gave out. The carrots are very sweet with a great flavor. I think I'll be planting them in a 1/2 barrel come springtime since they don't do well in the ground for me.
Kelly, I like the leeks, but it's such an investment in garden space that I have to ask if it's really worth it. I would rather have had another row of Fortex green beans.
Thanks everyone for your visit and your comments.
Happy and hopefully warm gardening!
Veggie PAK
wow, those leeks are gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's what every year I plan to plant, but keep forgetting!!!
Wendy, If I were going to grow them again, I would buy seedlings from the feed-n-seed store. Starting from seed is just too time consuming for me! They do taste good though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and sharing a comment.
Veggie PAK
If it makes you feel any better we struggle with our leeks too. I have tried everything and have yet to grow a decent sized one. I'm going to give it one more shot next year with my own saved leek seed from this past summer and see what happens. I think they just need more daylight hours than we can provide. Nice video...stay warm.:)
ReplyDeleteWow! that is some cold you got! Leeks take about 150 days to grow. I could never get it right, myself. But that sure is a nice harvest for how cold it is there. :)
ReplyDeleteMr. H, Good luck with your next try for leeks! You know, I think most people have this or that problem growing different vegetables, no matter what it says on the seed packet. That makes it all the more important for people to TRY to grow things so they will have a couple of seasons to possibly resolve the problems that they discover. It's like a big adventure of sorts.
ReplyDeleteezzirah, I knew leeks took a long time to mature, but I have had mine in the ground for 115 days now. The trouble may be that I planted too late in the year. Maybe they should have been a springtime planting. I planted August 26th. Probably too far into the year. I still think I will plant something else in their place in the spring.
Thank you both for visiting and sharing your comments. I really appreciate them.
Have a great vegetable gardening day!
Veggie PAK
Wow, you still have sugar pumpkins! Amazing. How's the taste, is it super sweet?
ReplyDeletemeemsnyc, I didn't get a chance to taste it before it went bad. I guess the cold actually froze it. When it sat on the kitchen table for a couple of days, it started turning to mush at the top. It was disappointing to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll try them again in 1/2 barrels next year so I can control the vine spread better.
Thanks for visiting!
Veggie PAK
I have had my best luck with leeks here in Chesterfield Va. starting under lights in feb. and planting out after last frost 1st May. Hilling and keep mulched start harvesting after first frost and straight through the winter. These plants are worth every bit of time and space for the ability to harvest through the winter. I'm also still pulling carrots and should be through Jan. mulch mulch and more mulch.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I still have some leeks that didn't get into the ground. They are in a flat, and are about 6 to 8 inches tall. Maybe they will give me the head start I need for a good sized crop next year. I have them in an unheated garage. Do you think they'll be good for next year? Should I bring them into the house for warmth?
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and sharing your comments!
Veggie PAK
I've had plants that didn't get in on time and over crowded in the pot and really didn't look to good but I put them in any way late in the summer they did fine. They seem to take abuse. You being down there near the ocean do you have access to any good compostables in any quantity such as crab meal or seaweed. I haven't taken the time to get registered and don't like the anonymous label so until I do I'll be eco-worm.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, or should I say eco-worm, No, unfortunately, when the seaweed is collected from the beaches, it contains quite a bit of trash such as cans, paper and styrofoam pieces, and it's 30 miles from our house, so it isn't worth the trouble.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started my blog, I found it absolutely frustrating to try to leave a comment on a blog. I think the easiest way is to join Google's free email, and use that name and password when leaving comments. You will notice at the bottom of the comment box, it says "Comment as:". Click on "Google Account" in that selection, and use your Gmail name and password to "log in" and leave a comment. When I am not signed in for the first time during a visit, I have to click on "Preview" once at a time for three times before the actual white preview box pops up. With each click, you have to scroll down to the word "Preview" again and click it until the screen pops onto your computer screen. I have no idea why it is set up that way, but it is indeed FRUSTATING! Good luck with it! You'll see what I mean.