End of Summer/Southern Gardening

My "second" crops - zucchini, tomatoes, etc. - all died in the extreme heat we experienced in August and I don't have the heart to start another even though the weather is lovely now.  We are spending so much time in Ohio, at least a week a month, it's not really worth it to start something new.

So, on to Ohio gardening.  I guess we'll have to change the name to SOP, for Oberlin (although the "S" never actually contributed anything...Cathy).  I feel as though I understand the timing and climate up there better than I do here, although in fact I never really did much gardening.  I did have a kind of cool circular vegetable garden once with pie wedge-shaped sections for the different vegetables.  It did ok, as I recall.

There won't be much doing up there over the winter but I plan to be gardening in full force come spring.

Garlic and shallot harvest

 I finally got around to harvesting my shallots and garlic today.  The garlic is in our little shed, where it needs to "cure" for 1-2 months.  I planted 4 kinds but forgot to note which is which, so now they're all mixed up.  They all look the same, anyway.  I'm going to cut the bulblets and try planting them in the fall, although supposedly that only works for ophio garlic (whatever that is).  Can't hurt.


The shallots are still in the field, per my instructions, where they'll stay for several days and then to into the room next to the greenhouse, because they need to cure, also.  I've attempted to cover the bulbs somewhat with the tops to protect them from sunburn.  I'll take care of that when I get back from Seattle next Monday.

Shallots drying in the field

Sunny in the leeks

Kim, tutorial on doing garlic braids, please!

Heat Wave!

No one in Georgia could possibly remain skeptical about global warming after the weather we've had and are scheduled to keep having, no relief in sight.  Well, maybe my neighbor John, but that's another story.  High 90s for days on end, and humid?  Uh huh.  Of course all my cold weather plants have bolted - which doesn't keep me from eating them - and I'm watering my warm weather plants pretty much every day.  Had to fill the rain barrel with the hose because it ran dry.

The beans and zucchini are doing fine, for now.  But what is it with me and tomatoes?  I planted 3 full rows of tomatoes and I got 2 - 2! - seedlings.  (Maybe they know I don't really like them.)  I'm keeping a close eye on those 2 and still watering the rest of the bed in case there are some late bloomers.

2 tomato seedlings - sad

bean plants - looking good

zucchini plants - will have too many, as usual