Yesterday and today were mostly cleanup - 4 cans of garden trash out for the lawn trash guys, once they got here today, and another ready for them next week! The pole beans have started producing, however, since it is cooler. I must have gotten a stray seed for those yellow beans - I can't remember the last time I grew any wax beans, and these were in a new raised bed, so no volunteer plants. The Thai Red Long beans have been producing through the hot weather, which doesn't seem to bother them.
Smaller beans starting to produce a lot, now that the heat is not bad. Long beans did not mind the heat. 9-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Neon and Ichiban eggplants still producing well. 9-13 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tomatoes still producing a few; same with peppers, though I already have enough dried and frozen to last through next year!

In these last few days I've planted all of the seedlings I had started for greens and other brassicas (except all those lettuce, as I have a large excess of them) - senposai, misome, mizuna, bok choy, purple napa, kale, kohlrabi, and cauliflower. Some have doubled in size in just a few days!

I planted a few more fast fall crops (radishes, and a couple Asian greens) in some spots there were other things I pulled out - cucumbers, and some of those cauliflower seedlings that just didn't make it. As usual, the cauliflower just isn't growing like the other greens I started in late August. Here is a photo of the red napa, just over 3 weeks old.
Red Napa cabbage 9-19, just over 3 weeks old. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tonight I cut up just under 4 lbs of beans, steam blanched them, then vacuum packed them, to go in the freezer. I still have some from last year! lol Fortunately, they keep well, vacuum sealed.
More Foodsavered beans, ready to go in the freezer. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The okra and hot peppers are slowing down greatly, due to the cold weather. Hopefully, it will warm up a little.

Today I harvested the end of my Aji Dulce peppers - only a few greens still, and it's getting cool, so there won't be any more, for the most part. Other peppers are pretty much the same, though maybe it will warm up, and I'll get a few. However, I have more than I can use, both frozen and dried! lol In fact, these Aji Dulces are going to my dentist's office, as I took a bunch of them (plus other peppers) to them a couple of weeks ago, and when I went back in Thursday, several of them told me how much they liked the Aji Dulces, since I told them they are basically habanero peppers, almost without heat, so those who can't stand heat, can actually try the dishes calling for them. I told them I'd bring the rest tomorrow, when I'm in for a teeth cleaning.
Last Aji Dulce harvest, 9-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got the containers ready for the off-season hydroponics today, though no water yet - maybe tomorrow. The cuttings put in the cloner yesterday morning are already looking perked up.
Clones perked up in just a day. 9-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Those squash are putting out an incredible number of blossoms this year! As always, these are a favorite harvest of mine. Here's what I got on 9-22, my 3rd batch of them:
45 squash blossoms, cleaned and spun dry, removing over 1/4 c of water. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And today I harvested 37 more squash blossoms, after getting the 45 just 3 days ago! I wasn't even going to look at them, but I was spray painting something outside that I had to wait a few minutes between coatings, so I just went out and noticed all those full sized ones already there, so I grabbed a pot, and snipped them all. I saw a good number of females, with small squash again, and those ones from Tuesday were much larger now. The flowers were really covered with some sort of bugs this time; what didn't scare off, is down the drain now.
37 more squash blossoms in just 3 days! 9-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The first harvest I made into a taco filling - a favorite thing to do with them. Tuesday I fried just 6 of them - I limit myself, as I could eat the entire batch! The rest I just chop up, and sauté in a little oil for about 4 minutes, then Foosaver them, to use in the winter, in soups or taco fillings. This will be my 4th batch in the freezer.
The rest of the squash blossoms, chopped up and cooked down for about 4 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got 3 more trash cans of garden trash out for them today. Okra plants all pulled, and a few pepper plants. And I severely trimmed the bay laurel and the two kaffir lime trees, as always, getting ready to bring them in for the cold season. When I get them up on the table, at eye level, I will trim a little more, but I got most of it today.

Need any bay leaves?!
Trimmed bay leaves, 10-4 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are the plants before trimming:
Two kaffir limes and the bay laurel, before trimming, 10-04 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are the trimmed trees - I have to trim that rosemary behind them, too!
3 severely trimmed plants, getting them ready to go inside for the cold season. 10-4 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got some of the larger winter squash today, along with a small one, on the early variety. The largest yuxi is 10 lbs, 6 oz, while the largest butternut is 8½ lbs.
A few more winter squash, 10-07 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I did absolutely nothing in the garden today, but some related chores got done. I got two of my plants indoors today - the curry tree and bay laurel - mainly because it is going to rain hard, and I've let them "lighten up", to carry inside! I also rolled the other two, more heavy plants, inside on the back porch, using a hand truck, to prevent them from getting totally soaked, and even difficult to move when I get a helper!

Yesterday I tweaked the trimming of these plants, so no branches are growing on top of each other, and I sprayed them all, along with the soil, as well as the fabric pot, with some neem oil. Then today, I soaked the soil and fabric with an orange oil solution. It dried up quickly, with that wind! When I brought them in, and set them in their trays, I made up a solution Bt isaraelensis - originally for mosquitoes, but I use it to kill fungus gnat larvae, in pots and hydroponics. I poured a half gallon in the top of each pot. After this, I made another gallon, but using one of my hydroponics vegetative growth fertilizers. They sucked all up quickly, since I had not watered for quite a while, so I'll be adding even more.

It started raining about 3 hours ago, and I had just finished out there!

I pulled all the rest of my butternuts yesterday, as the cold nights pretty much killed them - no frost or freeze, and I even have peppers growing still, but not those. So I cut all of the squash off, and then pulled the vines out - 2 more trash cans full! Then I pulled up the landscape fabric from under them - still in pretty good shape! That area is where my garlic is going in, so I put some compost and some organic fertilizer over it, but it was too late to pull the 'tiller out, so I'll get that tomorrow.

You can see that all of these were not totally mature - I'll see how they do now that they are pulled.
Last butternuts of the season, 9-4-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I cleaned out most of my SIPs today, including the last of my peppers in them (15 plants). I transplanted the greens into one of the raised beds from some of the SIPs. Then I drained the rest of them (I had 15 of them drained, and on their sides for a while), and covered almost all them, in 2 groups, with some tarps, weighted down with a bunch of bricks. I still have 5 SIPs uncovered, which I will cover in the morning, before the rain comes.

Today I covered the rest of my Earthboxes in two small groups. The bucket SIPs are still open, but I got all the large ones covered, before that rain today.

After that, I blew leaves into 3 piles, and sucked them up, to get 9 bags of ground leaves, which I poured onto my asparagus row. I got that covered, and was going to start putting them in trash cans, but the rain started. It's over 2" now, with more to come!

Two days ago I harvested the last of my peppers, when I pulled the plants. Unbelievable how long those plants were growing!
Absolute last of the peppers, when plants were pulled, 11-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I brought in my mason bee house today - I was remembered to do it because I left myself a note, late last night - the usual time I would think about it! It was soaked out there (another 2"+ rainfall last night), and it was very windy, but I was only out there for maybe 3 minutes! I only got 5 cocoons out of it, but I'll try again next year.

I trimmed my kaffir lime trees, since the smallest had grown all the way up to the ceiling! Doesn't take them long to get overgrown.
Trimmed kaffir lime branches, 12-5, after growing indoors for about 7 weeks. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I can practically smell this photo!! Do you give the kaffir lime trees any supplemental light when they're indoors?

[mention]root_grow[/mention] Those lime leaves do have incredible aroma, especially when fresh cut (as with all herbs!). I actually reduce the number called for in recipes, as they are even stronger, right off the plant.

Those herbs have no supplemental lighting - just a southern facing window with very bright light, on good days. Here's a photo from this afternoon - 2 of the stems from the larger lime tree grew about 6" already, past the rolled up blinds again! Incredible how fast these plants grow, especially after trimming.
Herbs in front of south facing window. by pepperhead212, on Flickr