more rain...seeds...a royal visit

an additional inch of rain this morning to add to the five we got from friday afternoon through yesterday morning...

has again absolved me of any responsibility for watering at the garden...a three weeek streak if i am not mistaken...

the asparagus is still green and pushing up autumn spears to feed the roots...it will go on until a frost and i will mulch it for winter in early november...

i am unclear about the reason this pile of mulch and/or compost is so perilously close to my assigned bed...however if it ends up in my bed i will riot...because...

the crimson clover from the green manure mix i planted last week...

and the winter wheat have germinated...there is every possibility that there is rye in this photo as well...difficult to differentiate at this stage and there is rye in the mix...

a considerable amount of the seed floated to the surface in the recent rains..i believe i mentioned that wheat will surface germinate in yesterday's post and here is evidence to back that claim...

the yellow peas had floated to and since they are not as prone ( although they may ) to surface germinate i replanted all i found...

the predators have found the rest of the maize...that's all...

the other zea family member had more ears announcing the end of their season...

so i harvested more mature seed...pleased no one pulled the teocintli thinking it was a "weed" this year...

the pepper is soldiering on into october...

while some one/thing has made off with the tomato...

the carolina horse nettle is still doing well...

and as i was preparing to leave the garden was granted a regal visit...plebe that i am i was allowed to take some photos...abetted by cool temperatures that rendered her highness a bit sluggish

last day of summer

there was three tenths of an inch of rain overnight and there is more forecast for tonight so, once again, i was spared watering in the garden...

my bed was a study in mixed signals today as regards the seasons...

after a shaky transplanted start the alfalfa is robust and, even this late in summer, still blooming for the bees...

one tiller on the zea mays mexicana is still green and full of ripening ears...

while the other side has clearly called it quits...

the husks are beginning to peel back and the ears are preparing to shatter...

i collected some...

and left some lay where it fell just to see what might happen...

the tomato is still green...

and, blurry as the main subject is ( yet the leaves around it are crisply focused..no real explanation why ) this photo proves i was mistaken about the pepper being done for the season...a new one is popping out...

the two maize plants on the west end of the row have been picked clean and something has been at the third one along...

so i pulled the two stunted, ravaged plants out in preparation fro some over winter bed maintenance...i was moved out of the bed i had occupied for a number of years this season and, frankly, one of the reasons i have had such a mixed season is soil quality...i maintained my old bed with additions of compost and by growing green manures as cover crops in fall and turning them under in spring...so after i pulled the maize and hoed the soil...

i spread a mixture of winter rye, yellow peas, hairy vetch, and crimson clover...

along with some sweet clover...

and winter wheat to hold the soil and set nitrogen until i turn it under in spring to feed the worms as the bacteria breaks it down...that and a few bags of compost should help the soil quality improve ( note to me...almost time to plant winter wheat and rye out back )...

finally the guest from the southeastern united states has reproduction as a priority...the spuds failed to fruit...their "wild and weedy" cousin had no such compunctions...it seems to be settling in for a lengthy stay...

no teosinte tonight

oh i have the photos alright...but there's other stuf going on out there that merits notice ( from, anyway ) the yacon in the top two photos ir robust and booming along in its 210 day season...it will be going inside soon enough to "finish'...the mashua is looking fine as well...it may be able to finish outside...looking forward to peppery tubers...there are some late pole beans going on...took their sweet time they did...there's life in the green manures i sowed saturday...this would be alfalfa i believe and i see at lest five yellow peas germinating...some of the peas floated to the surface ( peas are notorious floaters ) and have begun to germinate there...i pushed them back down so their roots get a better hold ( yes...i separated those four...didn't shove them down in a bunch )...if you miss the teosinte, no worries, there will be many more photos before autumn is over.