Autumn round-up

The vegetable garden is definitely coming to a close for the year. I planted out a new crop of snow peas and arugula a week or so ago-- it looks like I'll definitely have some late-season arugula, but only the frost gods know whether the snow peas will make it.

But Satrina, whatever happened to...

Savoy cabbages - One down (coleslaw, stew filler, fish tacos), five still unharvested.
Meyer lemons - finally ripening! There are about 6 of them.
Snow peas (spring) - Stayed fresh & crisp in the refrigerator all through August! Used in last night's curry.
Anaheim chiles - Roasted, peeled, and ready for use in tonight's enchiladas
Jalapenos - Some still ripening; others chopped, dehydrated, and stored for emergency guacamole purposes.
Rhubarb - Chopped and frozen for a winter pie
Roma tomatoes - Halved and dehydrated as they ripen.
Early Girl tomatoes - Being used fresh, but we still have too many
Brandywine tomatoes - Most were cracked or succumbed to blossom-end rot; others were eaten by birds. The remaining 4 were used for tomato salad.
Zucchini (picked ripe) - shredded and frozen for cakes
Zucchini & Pattypan (overripened) - saved as future Halloween decorations

In addition to storing food, I've washed, bundled, and hung several bunches of hydrangea to dry this week. They were vivid purple in summer, but have since mellowed into shades of pale green and dark mauve.

There are still plenty of gardening tasks to be accomplished before winter hits, but I'm so sad to see the summer vegetable season end! I guess there's nothing to do but hit the seed catalogs and start planning for spring.

Regarding dahlias

Swan's Sunset at the Evergreen State Fair

A few of you may have noticed that I'm a wee bit preoccupied with dahlias these days. To be honest, I feel kind of embarassed about it. I mean, compared to my beloved herbs and vegetables, flowers are so... frivolous. But front yards full of lush foliage and huge dinnerplate blooms are one of the main botanical highlights of Northwest summers, so when it comes down to it, I just wasn't able to resist their temptation.

Last summer, I splurged on a couple of $4 multi-packs of dahlia tubers at Lowe's, figuring I'd get some nice cut flowers and my craving would be satiated. But alas, my luck with home-improvement store tubers has been less than fulfilling. Over the past two seasons, I've been disappointed time and time again: tubers packaged as "dinnerplates" have turned out to be no more than 4 inches across, and out of five varieties purchased this year, only one came up true to label. Grr!

It's not that I don't love my little darlings:


It's not red and gold, but at least the blooms are large (if bug-eaten!)


Right general color, wrong shape... but cute

After all, they all have their own charms, and they've brightened the house considerably. They're just not what I was planning on. Actually, every mislabeled tuber has just made me more determined to get it right the next season.

I can feel it already-- 2006 will be my lucky year! I've visited two dahlia shows (one in Palos Verdes, CA, with C & Y -- hi guys!; the other at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe) and catalogued pictures of the exact varieties I want. I've researched reputable local organizations and growers. I've read up on growing practices at the Colorado Dahlia Society's excellent website. And I'm already drooling at the thought of catalog releases in January.

In short, I am well on my way to cooking up a veritable obsession ;-)


This tiny little frog likes my dahlias too.

How to care for cut dahlias (information courtesy of a very nice woman tending the exhibit at the fair): Set cut stems in warm (100 degrees F) water for 30 minutes before moving them to their permanent vase. Trim stems and change water every day-- cared for this way, blooms can last up to a week.

I didn't plant pumpkins...

...but apparently that's what I've got. After my month of absence, these pattypan & zucchini are unsalvageable as vegetables, so they'll probably be recycled as Halloween decorations. The plants are dead, so into the compost pile they went, along with the bolted arugula and dead snow pea vines. Wonder if I have time for a second crop of snow peas?

In other news, marigolds have taken over...



They are three feet high and crowding out my dahlias. They will *not* be in my garden next year... anybody want some marigold seeds?

I'm going to dig up any surviving strawberry plants and move them to the dahlia bed... they just didn't get enough water where they were. Likewise, the eggplant is dried out and shows no sign of setting fruit.

On a brighter note, the rhubarb is looking better, tomatoes are just ripening (had Romas for dinner and they were great), and the savoy cabbages are close to being harvestable:



Here's the overview of the garden after a month of neglect:



Am currently compiling dahlia photos, so you know what to expect next update ;-)