Grape Mulch

We decided to mulch the grapes in oak leaves this year, because that will make the soil more acidic. Grapes like it slightly acidic, and our soil is highly alkaline, so mitigation is in order. Bill was kind enough to rake up the oak leaves into his truck and dump them at the farm. This pic shows the pile half gone. I packed it in buckets and hauled it where needed.

And here we can see it halfway spread. Yeah, I was half done when I said, oh! I should be taking pics.

This was the scene on the table. I love the golden tomatoes with the bright marigolds.

We're still pulling peppers and eggs out of the garden, but things are definitely slowing down for the winter. It's time to pull the rest of the summer crops up.

Karen and I planted seeds on Wednesday. We sowed whole flats of Green Towers romaine, endive, and radicchio, plus individual pots of fava beans. The hot box is officially open! These will just be here until germination. We can probably sprout another set of greens before it's time to put in the tomatoes and peppers.

 Looks like Rene snuck over and did some more siding.

*******************************************************************
Seed Order
I bought more seeds from Johnnies. I got two kinds of arugula (regular and wild), three kinds of chard: yellow, magenta, and a white variety that is supposed to have a lot less fiber, and thus be very tender. I thought if it grew like chard and was tender like lettuce, that would be a real find. I also got baby bok choi, and green and red mustard greens. With that, plus the green towers I started, plus the broccoli and cabbage already in the ground, should make for plenty of winter produce.
*******************************************************************
And I loved this shot of my blue pumpkin with the tiny gourd.

 Ths shot really shows the lobes.

 And here's one still in the garden. The triambles seemed later to ripen. I haven't eaten any of them yet.

*******************************************************
Weather Note
The weather was glorious all week, with the fall leaf colors particularly vivid and fiery. But a storm is moving in, and we're about to get some cold wet weather. Forecast calls for rain tomorrow, and temperatures are dropping into the low 30s. We need to prepare for the first freeze, particularly by protecting the citrus.
*******************************************************