Comments on: The end of the season http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/ Tales of a country girl and her hens. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:28:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Laura http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2314 Laura Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:40:22 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2314 Denise - thank you! I'm giving all the credit for my success to the 18 yards of compost and the full sun that it gets... Gary - really? You shouldn't envy my unripe squash... El - my squash are slowing turning yellow in the back bedroom! And the broccoli is catching up, although I need to find a deterrent for the cabbage worms that are eating them alive... Audrey - I think we're going to try the first one this weekend - I'll let you know how they are... Lauren - how are your starts doing? Mine are catching up fast now that they're under the poly tunnel. Denise - thank you! I’m giving all the credit for my success to the 18 yards of compost and the full sun that it gets…

Gary - really? You shouldn’t envy my unripe squash…

El - my squash are slowing turning yellow in the back bedroom! And the broccoli is catching up, although I need to find a deterrent for the cabbage worms that are eating them alive…

Audrey - I think we’re going to try the first one this weekend - I’ll let you know how they are…

Lauren - how are your starts doing? Mine are catching up fast now that they’re under the poly tunnel.

]]> By: Lauren http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2280 Lauren Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:53:40 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2280 I have a lot of tiny tiny brassicas, too. All are under hoops or floating row cover right now, though we haven't had a frost yet (fingers crossed!!). And I, too, am comforting myself with thoughts of spring bounty, while trying not to think too hard about what we will eat all winter ... Lucky thing Seattle has year-round farmers' markets. (Oh wait, it's not lucky; I moved here on purpose for just such a thing.) I have a lot of tiny tiny brassicas, too. All are under hoops or floating row cover right now, though we haven’t had a frost yet (fingers crossed!!). And I, too, am comforting myself with thoughts of spring bounty, while trying not to think too hard about what we will eat all winter … Lucky thing Seattle has year-round farmers’ markets.
(Oh wait, it’s not lucky; I moved here on purpose for just such a thing.)

]]> By: Audrey http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2254 Audrey Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:07:49 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2254 Last fall we had a few underripe butternut squashes that rotted before they ripened. We tried to save some of the squash flesh but it tasted pretty bland. Will be interested to see if you can get yours to ripen. If so we may try growing winter squash again next year. Last fall we had a few underripe butternut squashes that rotted before they ripened. We tried to save some of the squash flesh but it tasted pretty bland. Will be interested to see if you can get yours to ripen. If so we may try growing winter squash again next year.

]]> By: El http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2252 El Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:22:21 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2252 Hi Laura: those spaghetti squash might ripen; do you have a hot, dry, not-dark place to stick them for a week or two, like a porch? They need to cure (you can tell with a fingernail for hardness) and eventually their starchy insides will turn sugar-y. You have to give them some time. Looks like a great harvest though! And you would be surprised how well even the tiniest brassicas get big over the winter. My broccoli last Oct. in the greenhouse were all about 3" tall but I harvested in January. Do you have rowcovers too, for the really cold periods? Even with all that less light they still want to grow. Hi Laura: those spaghetti squash might ripen; do you have a hot, dry, not-dark place to stick them for a week or two, like a porch? They need to cure (you can tell with a fingernail for hardness) and eventually their starchy insides will turn sugar-y. You have to give them some time. Looks like a great harvest though!

And you would be surprised how well even the tiniest brassicas get big over the winter. My broccoli last Oct. in the greenhouse were all about 3″ tall but I harvested in January. Do you have rowcovers too, for the really cold periods? Even with all that less light they still want to grow.

]]> By: Gary http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2251 Gary Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:52:10 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2251 I'm experiencing a deep and disturbing squash envy right now... I’m experiencing a deep and disturbing squash envy right now…

]]> By: Denise http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2250 Denise Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:10:24 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2250 We got a pretty good frost here last night.. I've pulled in most things, and I guess I'll bring in the rest today. Not nearly as many squash as you have, though! I'm very impressed by the yield of your garden this year. We got a pretty good frost here last night.. I’ve pulled in most things, and I guess I’ll bring in the rest today. Not nearly as many squash as you have, though! I’m very impressed by the yield of your garden this year.

]]> By: Laura http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2249 Laura Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:31:33 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2249 I dunno - my gardening book says that you shouldn't leave them much past the first frost. If it hasn't frosted on you yet, I'd leave them another day or two. I pulled mine because it froze so hard last night that a couple of them got soft spots. I figured under ripe squash was better than mushy squash. I have no idea if that was the right call or not. If your neighbor's don't mind the chickens, it shouldn't matter if they're legal or not, right? ;) I dunno - my gardening book says that you shouldn’t leave them much past the first frost. If it hasn’t frosted on you yet, I’d leave them another day or two. I pulled mine because it froze so hard last night that a couple of them got soft spots. I figured under ripe squash was better than mushy squash. I have no idea if that was the right call or not.

If your neighbor’s don’t mind the chickens, it shouldn’t matter if they’re legal or not, right? ;)

]]> By: Anita (AKA Angelnina) http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2248 Anita (AKA Angelnina) Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:19:06 +0000 http://urbanhennery.com/2008/10/10/the-end-of-the-season/#comment-2248 You did great! We heard we may get a frost tonight. We worked under the light of the chicken coop to clear out the remaining tomatoes and veggies this evening. We're exhausted, and it looks like I have boxes of tomatoes to work with..again. We are in unincorporated SNohomish Cty, and we just found out Lynnwood is annexing our area. Chickens are illegal in Lynnwood, but they might "grandfather" us in. We're very disappointed. I'm considering letters to the mayor and council. Why do people hate front yard gardens and chickens? Grrr. I don't know if the squash will ripen on their own. I have a few butternut that I left because I didn't think they would, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't go out and grab those too. You did great!
We heard we may get a frost tonight.
We worked under the light of the chicken coop to clear out the remaining tomatoes and veggies this evening. We’re exhausted, and it looks like I have boxes of tomatoes to work with..again.
We are in unincorporated SNohomish Cty, and we just found out Lynnwood is annexing our area. Chickens are illegal in Lynnwood, but they might “grandfather” us in.
We’re very disappointed. I’m considering letters to the mayor and council. Why do people hate front yard gardens and chickens? Grrr.

I don’t know if the squash will ripen on their own. I have a few butternut that I left because I didn’t think they would, but now I’m wondering if I shouldn’t go out and grab those too.

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