In (And Out of) The Garden -- September 29

Although there is still much growing and going on in the garden this time of year, the real focus, for me, has been bringing it all in and processing it for future use. The truth? I'm getting pretty tired of chopping, canning and freezing, but I'm pretty sure that I'll be happy I did it all come January.

I've been so happy with the carrot crop this year! The variety of color has been so much fun and the taste is absolutely delightful. I've sliced, shredded and/or cooked over 25 pounds of carrot this year. The truly amazing part is...

..not how huge some of the carrots are, but that they are still so tasty even when they are  huge.  I am not a fan of enormous vegetables generally (ask Senor Gringo what happens to oversized zucchini around here), but these huge carrots are every bit as good as their skinny counterparts.  And the carrots were not the only veggie to get enormous in the garden this year.

The 'Big Bertha' peppers have really out done themselves this year.  I had planted them in the new garden bed along the fence.  I was worried that they might not get enough sun there, but it looks like they got everything that they needed.  lol.  There are still dozens of peppers left on the plants that we may have to pick still green if they don't hurry up!

Another big success this year has been the 'Pink Chintz' time that I planted last year between the stepping stones just off the patio.

Each plant has close to two square feet of ground coverage.  Pretty good spread for a plant with leaves less than 1/4 inch long.  I was so happy with the ones I planted last year that I added three more this fall.

Love that fall sale at Willard Bay Gardens!  I also found some ruffly new pansies that I'll get planted when it cools off a bit.