pumpkins

I have heard different stories from gradeners who are quite dissapointed with their pumpkin harvest this autumn.  I have to say the same but I managed to harvest a collection of Queensland Blue and butternut pumpkins.  The pumpkin vines lovrd the rain we have been getting but they suffered a bit from not having the warmth during the summer months.  I planted the seedlings in September, thinking that will give the vines enough warm weather to produce fruits, grow and mature in the sunshine.  Our wet summer changed all that so they were struggling a bit.
I store the pumpkins in the laundry, the coolest place in the house.  As I do not use a dryer there is no danger of rotting from the steam and ensuing damp.  The vines need to be fed and I use seaweed solution.  I will always plant butternut as I find the flesh sweet, especially when baked.  I will look out for other varieties and for their next season I shall prepare the ground well before planting.

containers planting

 

My garden is big enough but I have containers all over the place, depending on the light requirements of the plants.  Over summer I had vegetables and herbs growing in pots when I could not find room in the planter boxes and garden beds.  The pots could be moved around and when the plants have gone to seed their unsightly appearance could be tucked somewhere unnoticed.  I shall be planting bok choi and lettuce in pots this winter as I would like to leave a couple of planter boxes in fallow.  I may have some radishes but once the box is almost emptied I shall spread blood and bone and cover the soil with pea straw.  Whatever pea plants may appear will be dug into the soil in spring.

zucchini

I am still picking zucchinis and as seen in the picture, taken this morning, the zucchini bush is still producing fruits.  At the moment there are three bushes and they are a bit bedraggled but I know I will still be harvesting inthe next few weeks.  A large zucchini surprised me this morning when I looked underneath a leaf.  I try to pick them when they are still small but a bit of water and warmth and the fruit would balloon to a gigantic size.
I can always find some use for zucchinis when I cannot give them away.  They good savoury dishes, for making cakes or muffins and for pickling.  At the moment I can still pick the three main vegetables for ratatouille from my garden.  The eggplants, peppers, zucchinis and tomatoes have enabled me to make ratatouille right through the summer and it looks like I will still be picking them in the next week or so.