Fall is for Gardening

Most people only associate gardening with spring and summer, but gardening really can be a year-round experience no matter where you live. Here in Eastern North Carolina, we don't really have winter; we just have an extended fall (without the beautiful colors). That means I can sometimes grow summer plants, like tomatoes and peppers, through to December. However, our summers are absolutely brutal with the heat index easily over 110 before noon most days. That means I'm watering everyday, sometimes twice a day to keep my plants alive. That also means that many winter plants, like broccoli, are hard for me to grow because they often bolt before I can get a harvest out of them because of the heat. That certainly doesn't stop me from trying though. Here is what the Wordfist Garden currently looks like at the beginning of fall.

I'm extremely proud of this little pepper. Unfortunately, the deer got to this plant early on in the summer, and I wasn't sure it was going to survive, let alone product anything. I was elated to discover this precious purple beauty growing ever-so-perfectly. It just goes to show you that even though you think something might be dead, don't give up on it; give it a chance because it might just surprise you.

These are Brennan's Garlic Chives. We bought these as young plants from our local nursery in an attempt to use more herbs in our cooking. I think we've only used them once, but I'm not upset about that because they are absolutely beautiful plants to have in the garden. Somehow, they survived the hell that is summer here in Eastern NC, and even with the cooler weather, they are still thriving. Normally, they have little white flowers that will bloom, but I've been pruning those because, as with most plants, when they flower, it usually turns the plant to taste bitter. However, I've considered getting more of these next year to use in the flower beds because I enjoy how they look so much. You should see them sway in the wind!

I don't remember what kind of tree this is. I planted it a few years ago shortly after we moved into this house in the hopes of creating a border between us and the neighbors who have not-so-nice dogs. We got it as a literal twig from the Arbor Day Foundation. It was free, so I figured "Why not? Let's give it a shot." This poor thing has been through multiple hurricanes and deer attacks, but it just keeps coming back. Today, it has never looked better, and I couldn't be more pleased with it.

These are our not-spicy habanero peppers. I know, NOT spicy. These are one of our non-traditional plants we got from the local nursery. While Brennan can handle any kind of heat/spice like a boss, I can't. I don't like heat/spice without taste or if the taste isn't worth the pain. We were intrigued that gardeners could create a not-spicy habanero, and half the reason we got it was to see if it was really true or if it was just less spicy. As crazy as it seems, it really isn't spicy at all, and it tastes so good! They are very small, and it takes them a while to turn from green to red, but as you can see, because the plant is so healthy, we've had quite the harvest already.

These are Brennan's prized San Marzano tomatoes. We first found out about these during a pizza tour in New York City on our honeymoon. Apparently, these are so special that they have to come from San Marzano, Italy to be legit. The canned version is what they use in pizza sauce, and while it's way more expensive than the off-brand, it's so worth it. When we found the plants at our local nursery, we were beyond excited to try them out. Unfortunately, these poor tomatoes have struggled through the harsh summer here, and we haven't gotten a single tomato to properly ripen for eating. Either the deer eat the plants and they fall off before they can ripen, or they start to rot on the on plant itself because it's just too hot and dry here. Yesterday, I cut off all the dead and diseased portions though, so the new healthy growth could have some breathing room. Fingers crossed this plant's second wind will give us enough tomatoes to make our own pizza sauce!

This is one of my Granny Smith apple trees. I know you're probably thinking, "why is she showing us a rotten apple?" Because this tree isn't supposed to produce any fruit until next year at the earliest and it already produced not one, but TWO apples this season! Albeit, rotten ones. Most fruit-bearing trees and bushes don't produce any fruit until year 2 at the earliest. I just planted these trees last fall. They've endured hurricanes, insane drought, and deer attacks as well. Yet, they're not only surviving, but also producing fruit earlier than expected. When my husband told me I had apples growing on my trees, I was so excited you would have thought I had just found out I was pregnant! These plants are like my babies though. I take care of them just like I would another human or pet: feeding, watering, weeding (cleaning), and keeping them safe from harm (as much as I can. Damn deer.). So yes, I am showing you this rotten apple because I'm extraordinarily proud of it!

Until next time, happy gardening!

XO Madame Wordfist