2023 Garden

This year’s garden was largely successful, with an extended end to the season making up for a late start. The harvest included:

  • At least a few raspberries per week all summer
  • 8 pints of blackberries
  • Some Asian pears
  • Two hundred apples (most sampled by birds and worms)
  • Several hundred large persimmons (over half left for the squirrels)
  • Three small pumpkins
  • Six butternut squashes
  • Ten Pattypan squashes
  • Three dozen zucchinis
  • One pint of snap peas
  • A few bell peppers
  • A dozen Anaheim peppers
  • Two dozen jalapeno peppers
  • Two dozen tomatillos
  • Around one hundred medium and large heirloom tomatoes
  • A continuous copious supply of cherry tomatoes (traditional and black)
A nearly-ripe winter broccoli.
Heavy snow in February.
Garden coated in late February snow.
Asian pear blossoms.
Apple blossoms.
Tomato starts in the ground.
Tomato plant growth accelerating toward the end of June.
Stupice tomatoes.
Two large zucchini plants.
Legend tomatoes and a volunteer sword fern.
Tomatillo buds.
Anaheim peppers.
The first tomatoes to ripen are Stupice in mid August, nearly a month later than usual.
A young Pattypan squash and flower.
A butternut squash emerges below its flower.
Red jalapeno peppers.
Bulk tomato ripening picked up by the end of August.
Rainbow harvest of tomatoes, with a white Pattypan Squash.
Ripe plums.
Several small yellow Pattypan squashes.
A late-growing pumpkin vine reaches out for light.
Volunteer cherry tomatoes.
A single pumpkin from the first harvest pairs with an exceptionally large and hardy zucchini.
Dr. Wyche’s Yellow tomatoes.
Persimmons begin ripening in mid October.
A pair of maturing lemon cypress flank garden steps.
Hundreds of large persimmons approach ripeness.
Vine maple.
The last vine-ripened tomato, at the end of October.
The late-developing fall season prolonged fall color on the vine maples along with garden harvests.
Persimmon fruits ripen as the tree drops its leaves.
Late autumn flowers on a Marina strawberry tree.
Ripe persimmons decorate the otherwise-bare tree as bright orange ornaments.
Even the squirrels can’t keep up with the abundance of ripe persimmons by early December.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *