Container Gardening – Fall Garden Planting

It was late in September when I got around to planting some fall seeds. I had packets of cherry radishes, leaf and mesclun lettuces, and some mixed greens. I also planted dill and rosemary again, Spearmint, catnip, oregano, sage, and parsley.

I planted green onions again. I have a few pictures of my spring onions, but will not share them. They exploded over the pot in a tangle of long, thick stalks. They were a product of not thinning the sprouts. It didn’t make for pretty pictures. They tasted fantastic, though.

I had green onions, a common staple in my meals, all summer long from that one  squatty 36″ diameter pot. They are done though.  I should have planted more, sooner. I hope they sprout and grow well before it gets too cold and dark for them.

I pulled up all my bush steak tomato and one patio princess.. They were also done. The remaining four patio princess plants underwent massive pruning. Only leaving any vine carrying fruit, blossoms or healthy, green leaves.

My five pepper plants are producing wonderfully right now. All five really ramped it up in September and October. I counted at least 30 peppers emerging or ripening.

Well, that is before the unfortunate staking incident. I don’t wanna talk about it other than it cost me 8 peppers. There was also the chickens playing tether/pepper ball incident.  Lost 3 then. They are still blossoming, though.  I hope to make up some losses.

RIP carnival peppers. May you contribute to my compost pile.

The peppers have done so well the last couple months. Though the girls do a great job of keeping bugs out of the yard and garden, we have been suffering heavy predation from an unidentified pest.

I could never find the offending muncher. It chewed two plants pretty hard, then just stopped. It was a mystery, but I just chalked it up to the girls finding it for me. There are many big peppers ripening. I look forward to not paying the premium  at the store for that spicy flavor I like in my dinners.

We eat plenty of salad here and my mother enjoys radishes. I broke out the handy coffee cans and starter pots . I also washed the big pots from the recently vacated tomato plants, filled with good dirt, seeded with lettuce,and made a little tiered garden stand.

Two of my massively pruned patio princess tomato plants sit next to pots of tower lettuce and  green onions.

They had really burned in the summer heat. I trimmed them back to only the small green, heathy parts  at the bottom. I was surprised when they suddenly bloomed and started making fruit.

I hope to see more of those tasty tomatoes I have been enjoying the last two months in future sauces and salads, if just for a little while longer.

The radishes were the first to reach for the sun.

Then the mixed baby lettuces. I was really glad to see those. We eat plenty of salad here.  I like a good mixed lettuce salad.
You know who also loves lettuce?

This girl! Attack of the greedy Poo-Princesses  resulted in so many casualties. I turned my back for a few minutes and I lost half the lettuce sprouts, most of the herbs and the onions were dug up.
RIP little sprouts. May you contribute to delicious eggs.

I broke out my seed packets again. And did more planting. Rearranging all the pots was a task. It has been unsuccessful. It has however, inspired a pallet project to keep the pots higher, and more out of reach from a hungry hen. More on that project in a later post, though.

The herb garden is sprouting so nicely! The thyme and parsley have been assaulted a couple of times, but carry on. Soon these pots will be up higher and be lest tempting to unwanted browsers.

My houseplants look amazing! It is such a switch from how they looked last May when we moved. The country air, abundant rain and sunshine looks to agree with them.

I have some little friends in the garden, also. This little guy had been hanging out lately. His appearance was about the time the criminal creature that was assaulting my pepper plants disappeared. Could it be my garden hero? Not sure. He sure is cute, though. So he can stay.
Well, that is as long as it can stay away from the chickens. They are eating machines.

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