By September the large tomatoes have passed their prime, tho the small varieties – Juliet, Black Cherry (our favorite), Jelly Bean, Sweet Cherry – are still producing.
The Juliet is a hybrid and also grows well and tastes good.
The burgundy okra is producing well – the smaller okra can be eaten raw off the plant, the oversized are tough and the covering is stringy even after grilling (we grill rather than fry) and the transition from small to oversized happens within a few days, so daily okra picking visits are necessary.
A big hit this season are the rattlesnake beans so called for their coloring which progresses in stripes from green to black and their distinctive rattle. They seem immune to diseases and pests and grow prolifically. If not picked tender they must be shelled, a task I quite enjoy.
With plentiful rains and cooler temps the arugula is thriving.
Basil and the other herbs – mint, organo, rosemary – are doing fine. Another first for me this season is water melon and, now I have allowed it to ripen, it tastes great.
The Morning Glory vine is intertwining my fences, bean plants and trees.
I don’t mind the”weeds” and trim them back just enough to allow light to reach my shrubs and smaller trees. Diversity is good and now in my hillside orchard you hear the bees working the weeds.
And step closer and you see the bees hard at work.
I have several fig varieties and each year they die to the ground but since their roots are intact and larger each year, the above ground fig grows more rapidly and larger too. I hope that when they reach a certain mass they will be able to withstand a winter with min temps of say 12 deg F. The winter a few years ago when temps reached close to zero is what did them in.
The jujube tree is producing more fruit each year.
Jujube ripens in September and is fragrant and sweetish when the yellow green skin has turned completely brown. I am pleased to see several small jujube trees close to the parent. Whether from root or seed I will only know when I transplant them in October. But a bonanza since the jujube seems immune from disease and pests but not appreciative birds.
September is also ripen time for my Gold Rush apple tree. The apples are pleasant to eat altho only 30% to 40% is available due to pest presence. With my chickens graduated this year to yard range from paddock range and turning compost assiduously, I will next move them to the orchard to deal with the overwintering pests.
Comfrey is luxuriating in the cooler weather after a tough summer.
In the woods the rains have produced many different mushrooms which are devoured quickly by wildlife or overtaken by secondary growths.
And my dog Trudy who was afflicted and unable to walk a few posts ago, is now back to normal, on patrol among the vegetable beds and locating scents on the walks in the woods.
Yesterday was honey harvest day. I have 2 hives – the one somnolent where almost all the occupants gather at the entrance to while away the day. It had no honey for the taking. The second hive is more vigorous and has swarmed several times, that I have seen. September is a bit late for harvesting so I left a lot of honey behind but still gathered about 2.5 gallons.
Since I record the date of harvesting I can keep track of prior year dates.
I almost forgot to mention the muscadine which has ripened just the past few days.
And the chickens, the rooster and his 10 hens, are doing fine. 3 to 5 eggs daily and occasionally I uncover a cache of secreted eggs from several hens – probably couldn’t be bothered to make the trip back to the coop when they forage more widely across the yard.
ps – I was wondering where the rats and mice which frequent the coop had gone to and thought maybe a seasonal thing, or late summer vacation. And then this afternoon after refilling the 5 gal water container in the coop, I saw on the outside of the coop, heading for the entrance, a gorgeous black at least 5 ft long, rat snake. Disturbed, it reversed direction and headed away but I hope it will return and do its duty, as long as that does not include polishing off the eggs.