October 2, 2014
How on earth is it the beginning of October?
Here is what my garden (Eastern NC, Zone 7b) looks like at the beginning of October and how it has changed in a month.
First, for a point of reference, here is the garden at the beginning of September:
And the beginning of October:
Doesn’t look like much has changed from afar but up close is a different story. I thought maybe some side by sides would be helpful… [walking from east to west (bottom to top of photo) in the garden]
Potato Patch (future Three Sisters Patch?): Kale and Cabbage seedlings have been transplanted. All that is left is some celery and a lone lettuce plant. The rest will rest over the winter. (The area was scratched up a bit after the cows let out the chickens last week. Don’t ask.)
Celery 
Lettuce. We just keep harvesting as we are able from this plant 🙂
The future potato patch, scratched up as it is.
Tomato/Pepper Patch (September/October)
Some of the tomato plants have gotten over the blight and are coming back strong. 
The main sweet potato patch (September/October). I notice more insect holes this month. I have been waiting for first frost to harvest but I wonder if I should go ahead so there is no more damage. We are still in the mid/high-70s most days. What say you?
I also noticed there are A LOT of sweet potatoes popping up above the ground (still under the canopy of leaves). Is this bad? Should I go ahead and harvest them since they are doing this? 
The peas in the pea/roots patch are doing really well. Some of my roots were scratched up and others never germinated. I replanted carrots and onions and they are just starting to sprout. Hopefully they will ‘take’. Maybe if I cover them, they will continue to grow this fall so we can harvest them throughout the winter. (Sept/Oct)
We are getting plenty of flowers and pods and some are fat enough to harvest 🙂
My children’s little garden is doing pretty well (at the base of sweet potato patch #2)
In the raised beds, spinach was planted, along with more root crops that are refusing to sprout and some more brassicas. (Sept/Oct)
The over flow garden is looking a little scraggly and needs to be cleaned out.
but the brassicas that were transplanted from the potato patch are doing well…for the most part. I am having a hard time keeping them covered. Some of my largest cabbage plants have been eaten down to the nub. 😦 One day I’ll figure out how to properly cover crops…one day…
This is one of the cabbages I planted from seed directly into the chicken tractor/hoop house. 
The larger of the kale were those that were transplanted from the potato patch.
The raspberries are still producing well. We need to stake them and move stragglers back into their row. That will be a winter chore.
Below are all of the raspberry shoots that have popped outside of the row. Anyone ever had success transplanting them in the winter? I assume it will be fine but I haven’t looked into it yet. 
I am not getting any fall strawberries. I thought everbearing bore in the spring and fall. Hmmm. A little disappointing.
That’s it – our garden at the beginning of October. Harvesting a little, willing little plants to become big plants before it gets too cold, and dreaming of next year 🙂
What does your garden look like in October?
I am linking up to Green Thumb Thursdays and Simple Lives Thursday to see what is going on in other people’s gardens.
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