It turns out grapes spontaneously mutate into slugs when left out overnight.
Or maybe they don’t. The mothers gave us a generous plateful of their Concord grapes, but I don’t like them and Eric didn’t get through them before the number of fruit flies multiplied to the point where I found one in a covered bowl of rising bread dough, and that is not acceptable. So I put the plate out on the back porch. This morning I walked out and stepped on something squishy that turned out to be a slug bigger than I thought they made them in Ohio. There were other nickel-sized slugs around, too. It must be slim pickings this time of year because they had to travel up three steps to get to the grapes.
In other news, there is no other news. Well, I picked most of our remaining pears, and made a pear tart (no whipped cream, brown sugar in the topping, and half cinnamon, half allspice instead of all allspice; it was delicious but much too small) to eat while we watched the VP debate. I think this was the first time Eric and I have ever sat down and watched two hours of non-DVD television together. I’m continuing to pick a few tomatoes every once in a while, waiting for the tomatillo husks to brown, watching the broccoli like a broccoli-growing hawk. Still hoping to get some bricks from my stepmother-in-law to pave the herb garden, but if not I can go buy my own now.
I think Iām actually hoping for frost. That’s not quite true, but Iām past the denial stage of mourning for summer. Now I want to be able to clean up the garden–not that I couldn’t, but I didn’t get enough out of it to justify pulling the plants before they’re entirely spent–and see what frost-sweetened carrots and leeks are like, and quietly contemplate next year’s plans.
Also I want to know why I’ve got tomato and bean seedlings in the lettuce and spinach beds. I spread compost there after I pulled them so I can see how tomato seeds might have escaped, but I don’t think I threw any beans out. Where did they come from?
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October 3, 2008 at 12:15 pm
greenwalks
I know that feeling of wanting the season to officially turn – then you can’t really feel guilty anymore for not getting to your garden tasks! Tomato seedlings are famous for coming up via compost. Who knows about the mystery beans, though?! I did a post recently about a tine (less than 1 foot high) corn stalk that showed up in my veggie patch from no discernable source. Wacky!
October 3, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Becky
With all the seeds that arrive on the wind, in the fur of critters, buried by squirrels, dropped by birds and from the compost, it’s a wonder seed companies still manage to sell us those little packets.
October 5, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Jenny
Greenwalks–I saw that post on the corn. That’s so funny.
Becky–this is true, except that we often want to know what we’re growing. š
October 7, 2008 at 5:24 pm
kristi
That’s so funny, we were looking at that same kit a few weeks ago, after finding a number of tutorials on Youtube. You will have to let me know how it works out.
I am so over summer, tomatoes were such a big disappointment this year. But I still have eggplant, basil and other summer vegetables.
October 8, 2008 at 11:02 am
Jenny
There will definitely be a report. š I can’t say I’m over summer, but I’m definitely getting into the swing of fall. I’m jealous of your eggplant.