State of the Garden September 2016

This is the time of year when my garden updates (concentrated on the vegetable garden) cease until the spring. I have a new crop, however, that has made a very late appearance.

In April, I transplanted a half-dozen Loofah seedlings on the side of my pollinator garden. As the rest of the vegetable garden took off and demanded more and more attention, the Loofahs seemed stunted and on the verge of dying.

One day a long vine appeared with a beautiful yellow flower. I was surprised by the traveling vine. Much like spaghetti squash, this is a plant that will wander and climb. We enjoyed the flowers, but never saw any fruit. In early September, (surprise!) small zucchini-like fruits appeared.

I am happy to report that 5 fruits are growing. 3 are longer than 12 inches. Once they start changing colors, I'll refer to the website Loofah.info for instructions on proper harvesting techniques.

Early Stage of Loofah Fruit

Loofah Gourd with Flower

Loofah Gourd

The Loofah.info website suggested growing loofah on a trellis or fence. Tips for helping pollination are also given. If you want to grow loofah, this could be a very important resource.

Green peppers continue to grow. I tried a new recipe for stuffed peppers just yesterday. I'm competing with hornworms over the jalapenos.

As the camellias fill up with buds and prepare to bloom, I think this will be my last update for the season. Now that temperatures have dropped, I'll be filling my fall days with transplanting volunteer plants (camellias, crape myrtles, butterfly bushes).

Happy Gardening Readers!! I would love to hear about your gardens!

Volunteers in the Garden

I love volunteers. Particularly, I love volunteers in the garden. People that volunteer in gardens are great. My topic today is the plants that volunteer in the garden. Volunteer plants are those that sprout from uncultivated seed. Seed dropped from previous plantings or spread by birds can result in volunteer plants.

After the Great Deer Debacle earlier this summer (my blog of July 20, 2012), I was especially grateful for the volunteer pepper and tomato plants. The deer had laid waste to my formal plantings so I let the volunteer plants grow to replace the carnage. I transplanted some of the pepper plants into pots on my deck to insure their survival.

Jalapeno Peppers

Now I’m harvesting jalapeno, green peppers, and grape tomatoes from those volunteer plantings. Thank you, volunteers!