September Update...

 

Wildflowers & turkey feathers

Small pie pumpkin

Rose of Sharon in bloom

Citronella blossoms

Dried tomatoes like marigolds

Moon & Stars

September's bounty

Tiny pitcher plant

At the barn

Portrait of old sungolds

Black beetles on yellow blooms

Morning Glory and dried cowpeas

Mr. Miles guarding the garden

Small spider web in the morning

Dried tomatilloes like lace

Edisto 47 canteloupe

Red burgundy okra

Clemson spineless okra

Garden workhorse

Standing tall

Potatoes in cast iron

One of the wide variety of morning glory blooms

With dried limas

Garden statue from my grandmother's house

And her "king"

September was all about acknowledging the destruction the squash bugs wrought throughout the entirety of the garden. These little guys were absolutely voracious, and they spread like fog across a Blue Ridge morning, blanketing everything that was green with eggs and nymphs and then adults mating wildly.

But that didn't stop us from harvesting many delicious winter squash which we frittered and fried along with the plentiful okra which is still pouring in despite temperatures finally approaching some kind of sanity. The melons were delicious, sweet and juicy, and worth the fight. The last beans became a haven for wasps and yellow jackets and I almost fell victim to any number of black widows hiding under every log and rock.

We'll put up a "bug post" next and discuss our plans on dealing with the problems we faced come next season. We have solutions for these things, and no mercy in our farmer's hearts. That's just how we roll here.