The Modern Victory Garden

Each Monday, Daphne’s Dandelions hosts “Harvest Monday” where everyone submits links to their blog posts summarizing their harvest for the week.   It’s fun to see what everyone else is harvesting from gardens in so many different regions.   Check it out and join in!               

The harvest this week included the last three pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.   There was actually one more pumpkin that was removed but it did not get sufficiently mature to store properly and so was not included in the harvest tally.   Instead it was added to the compost heap along with the vines and other debris cleaned out from the vacated bed.   Earlier in the week I harvested some broccoli and Sunday I harvested some kale and carrots to go into a hearty soup for dinner. 

Harvest totals for the week of October 25th through October 31st (rounded to the nearest ¼ pound).

• Broccoli 0.50 lbs
• Carrots 0.50 lbs
• Kale 0.25 lbs
• Pumpkins 13.00 lbs

Total For Week 14.25 lbs

Total Year To Date 438.50 lbs          

Eggs harvested this week - 40                 

We have had a series of rather heavy rainstorms lately but we caught a break on Sunday.   I took advantage of the drier weather and did a thorough cleaning of the chicken coop and yard.   The whole time I was doing the cleaning process, I had one of the hens underfoot.   She was vastly interested in what I was doing and was actually in my way quite a bit.   No sooner had I finished up then she popped into the coop and proceeded to lay an egg!    You can see her in the far nest box in the following picture.      

Apparently she was just trying to get me to hurry up and finish so she could lay that egg!    Poor dear was probably pretty uncomfortable.           

The garden is very quiet at this time of year.   Most of the fall clean up and bed preparation for winter is completed and the fresh harvests are less frequent, much smaller in volume, and not as varied.   There are however a few tasks to regularly complete including keeping the greenhouse container plantings and seedlings in the shop (growing under lights) watered; pulling the occasional weed that I may spot growing in a garden bed; and adding items and turning the compost piles to keep them working.   There was one last winter prep item that I took care of on Saturday in that I covered two of the beds with a grow tunnel to protect certain crops.   Here is the larger of the two beds that I covered.                        

The overwintered spinach patch, some green onions, and some carrots are under this tunnel cover.   In the smaller covered bed are more spinach, carrots, and some celery and kale as well.

Everything is thoroughly soaked from the heavy rains we have been getting (more on the way late tonight).   It was nice to get a brief respite from the wet on Sunday.   The chickens enjoyed the improved weather…        

…and the pumpkins had a chance to dry off  on the front porch steps before being put away.                        

Laura

kitsapfreedomgardener