Peppers are Done

I cleaned the peppers out of the high tunnel last night. The plants have all been bit by the cold and were pretty wilty.

Looks like I need to make some jalepeno pepper jelly. I think fajitas will also be on our dinner menu this week (and next).

November Tomatoes

The high tunnel is still going. Going crazy with cherry tomatoes in fact. Picked these today. As in - picked in NOVEMBER!

The plants are getting a little wilty on top, so it's time to get the row covers out and give a little added protection from the cold.

Fall Planting, Part Deux

More seeds in the ground last night. This was our second fall planting (the first was cabbage and winter onions more than a week ago). My instructions from Bill were to plant "twice as many as I wanted" so we had produce to experiment with. One of the big questions, I believe, is how long we can leave the root vegetables in the ground before they go all soft and squidgy.

Remember, we have lots of insulation around the base of the high tunnel. That and the air protection above ground should help us stretch our harvest season quite far. Harvesting in January or February perhaps?

Broadfork

That's me working the soil in the high tunnel with a broadfork--a human-powered rotatiller.

The fork is about 20" wide and has five tines, I think, to lift and aerate the soil. It worked quite well in the high tunnel, where space is tight. Really, a powered rotatiller would have been totally unnecessary. Because we haven't been trampling the soil all summer, it was still nice and light. I'd say it spent all of 15 minutes, maybe, loosening the soil in two rows.

It was HOT in the high tunnel though, even with the sides up, and I was fresh from standing outside working a golf outing all day. So I must admit that when Bill asked me if I didn't prefer that to a machine, I hestitated.

Now, in retrospect, in the cool breeze of morning, I can say that yes, the broadfork was WAY better than pushing some heavy machine into the tunnel and standing behind a hot, loud motor. It's just at 80+ degrees in a heavy weight polo and pants, just about any kind of labor seemed offensive.

That's okay. Took a super fast shower after the garden and then headed out to hear some jazz at Heritage Hill. They have a very nice 'carry-ins welcome' policy for their Monday night concerts, so I carried in some local red wine. Yes [sip]....I earned this.

Flash in the Pan

Seems as though the pickling cucumbers were only with us for a few days. The bed was overrun just over a week ago, and now the plants are done. So done they've been yanked and sent to the compost bin.

That's okay, I guess, 'cause we're doing some FALL PLANTING tonight.

Speaking of fall planting, Bill put a new row of peas in an outside bed, and they're already popping up nicely.