Garden Friday

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

When the gardener's away,

the okra will grow.

         And grow.

                           And grow!

 I was dogsitting for friends and away from home for a few days.
This is what I came back to.
If okra isn't picked twice a day,
it can grow out of control.
This Bradford Family variety can still be enjoyed if it gets away from  you,
but this is a bit beyond what would probably taste good.
Thankfully, nothing goes to waste,
we have several compost piles for just this purpose.

Since we are getting ready to add a couple of new beds to the garden,
the okra had to be pulled out to make room.
These stalks will be added to our open-air pile.

 The okra stems were left in place,
so that I'll have a "handle" with which to pull them up.
Removing the stems after they've had a while to dry up
is much easier than trying to yank them out while they're still green.
(Ask me how I know.)
Two okra plants remain in straw bales until it gets cooler and they're done.

A wonderful vision as I visited the garden for the first time in days
was the riot of Red Ripper beans, drying on the vines.
This new-to-me crop has been very satisfying to grow.

 It's one of my favorite things to sprout in the kitchen
to use on salads or sandwiches.
Once the pods turn brown, they can be plucked off of the vines.

I'll have my work cut out for me this weekend,
shelling this pile of beans,
but it's a labor of love.

 These beautiful beans will be a great addition 
to any soups or stews I'll be creating this fall and winter.
And, of course, sprouting can happen year-round.

The Diamond eggplant variety is just now getting close to harvest.
With a recent cooling off, I'm not sure if they will continue to grow.

 For some reason, the strawberries are lookin' mighty fine!
It hasn't rained in weeks, but you wouldn't know it to see these.

 Isn't this loofah a beautiful shade of copper?
I decided to try to harvest one,
just to see how difficult it would be to peel.
I cut this one down from the vine
and made slices in the skin vertically.
The husk came off so easily!

It is so exciting to grow something new!
The seeds are inside the loofah,
and removed by shaking or using a long, narrow instrument to coax them out.
Loofah is one of the best exfoliators to be found,
and rejuvenates the skin.
 
 

 We're still waiting to harvest even one of our watermelons,
and with temperatures fluctuating,
I hope we still get the chance.

The bush beans transplanted a few weeks ago
have almost all been eaten up by something.
It's the same problem I had earlier in the spring.
I will just direct seed in another week or two,
once cooler temperatures are more consistent.

With no rain in the forecast,
hand watering is still the best way to keep the garden going.
I'm hoping to purchase the materials necessary
so that I can work on my drip irrigation system.
By spring planting, I would like the new beds in place,
and the drip working to irrigate all the beds.
I can't imagine how much time that will save me.


Autumn is (literally) right around the corner!
What have you got planned for your fall garden?