garden doings
I placed this big rock here in front of the greenhouse to add balance to another big rock on the other side of the greenhouse. And because I think it’s pretty. I love rocks and boulders in gardens and landscapes, they add a sense of heft and grounding.
I discussed rocks as an easy way to create habitat in a previous post
Autumn in the air
Flowers blooming for every season
Careful of those eggplant spikes. One got me yesterday!
I decided to give the tomatoes a hard trim back yesterday. Getting more light to the fruit that’s already on the vine feels crucial given how quickly Autumn is approaching. It also allows more light to reach the peppers growing in the understory.
The tops were lopped off as well, shortening the height of the indeterminate tomatoes. Outside of more light, the other benefit to this action, is redirecting the plant’s energy to the fruit (not to leaf and limb development).
If I were in a climate with a longer growing season, I would not have chosen to do this, as the indeterminates would continue to grow and give more fruit. But you can’t fight reality! The air has a chill and the leaves are turning so it’s time to put the focus on the fruits that are already there to insure a good harvest.
Another simple but impactful decision I made to hasten the ripening process, is to start closing the back greenhouse window and the top of the dutch door at night to keep more heat in. Tomatoes, and most plants, love airflow so I’ve been keeping those open, but at this point heat is the more crucial element. The greenhouse is still opened during the day to allow airflow to the plants - and access to pollinators that enjoy the herb blossoms.
Gardening is not a hard set of rules. Sure, there are knowledge basics, but it’s more about observation, assessing the variables that are unique to each situation and making decisions based off of those variables. I call this “Garden Logic” and it’s the aspect of gardening I’m most interested in sharing with all of you - as well as my approach to design through physical exploration of space.
I’m so thankful to those of you who have followed me here after I took the leap of leaving instagram and to anyone just joining me. I’m getting my balance and building out the backend of this site so that I can offer more robust opportunities for learning, sharing and community right here!
As late fall and winter approach here, I’ll be talking more about California’s peak gardening season - as it’s just approaching! And as always, I’ll be available for virtual consultations for your California gardens.
