Fall plantings doing very well

Pole beans have been planted where the sweet peas had grown. The peas did pretty well on the plastic trellis material. The beans and cucumbers are too. Once the beans began growing vines they quickly reached the tops of the trellis. Once they fill it in, they should produce nicely.

To get more from the garden we have followed crops with new crops (or fall crops). It seems awkward to call them ‘fall’ crops since it is still mid summer, but I supposes they will harvest nearer fall. They have all done well. Here is the list of crops and how we followed them with others:

• Carrots – followed with okra
• Onions – followed with straight neck summer squash and acorn winter squash
• Sweet Peas – pole beans and cucumber

The summer squash is already producing. The ocra is just now beginning to flower and will produce in the coming weeks, especially in September along with the other row of okra.

Peppers are having a great year in the garden. The trellis that Adrian devised has kept the plants from blowing over in the wind. We’ve used the same plastic trellis material and here we’ve attached the end to a piece of PVC lumber. The PVC will never rot and is strong enough to hold the trellis tight. We drilled a hole so that the re-bar stake fits into the hole in the PVC securing the trellis to the stake.

This method has held most of the fruit off of the ground and has supported the plants well during picking. We’ll use it again.

The cantaloupe and okra are both crowding the peppers. The cantaloupe is crawling right up on the trellis. They have really performed well this summer. We’ve harvested well over 100 melons and will get lots more.

The perennial area has finally been tamed from weeds by heavy mulch. The blackberries have a trellis now too. We will add wires and tie up the canes. You then tip the canes to promote side shoots which will flower and fruit next year.

The first canes from blackberries are often prostrate (they want to lay on the ground). So the first year of trellising the berries will be difficult. The wire will be lower to accommodate this strange first year growth. Next year the canes will grow tall and straight and will be easier to trellis.

Both strawberries and blackberries need nitrogen this time of year. I wish we had more compost that was ready. You never have enough compost.