Part of what i did this weekend was start to clean up the garden. Some of the beds have grass growing in them, as does the front half of the garden. But more on that later. When I walked in to tackle it, this is what greeted me:
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| Pop up tomatoes |
This is the tomato raised bed.
I pulled them up in August when the heat was at it's peak and they were fizzling out. I PULLED THEM UP. Roots and all. I even turned off the watering system. We had a few good soaking rains in September and can only assume that a few tomato seeds were laying on the ground and along with the weeds and grass, they started springing up and have been happily growing.
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| Tomato pop up |
Here is one in a raised bed in the midst of some grass that popped up. They are all covered in blooms too. Not sure if we'll get a second wave of tomatoes, but we feel like we should leave them alone and see what happens. Tomatoes 2.0?
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| Eggplant pop ups |
And what have we here?
Why this is one of the eggplants...I pulled them up as well and put the cages up. Now there were two growing about 2 feet tall and have blooms all over them as well! They were starting to lean over so I put cages back around them to help support them. Eggplants 2.0?
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| Basil pop ups |
And look at these weeds popping up on the ground in the mulch!
Oh wait, those aren't weeds, those are basil plants! And they are about, oh, eight FEET away from the raised herb bed where their mother plant originated. I'm guessing seeds blew across the mulch, landed in just the right spot with just the right moisture and boom, pop up basil! We just don't have the heart to pull them up. I did pull up the weeds around them but hey, if we need basil this Fall, I'll just pop over to the garden and pull some up. Basil 2.0?
Side note, I will catch up comments tonight. Just hadn't been on the computer long enough to go back through them. We always read ALL of them of course, and now I need to go back and reply to as many as possible. Keep 'em coming!
What about you? Have you ever had a garden plant just randomly pop up and provide you with a second crop?
Oh wait, those aren't weeds, those are basil plants! And they are about, oh, eight FEET away from the raised herb bed where their mother plant originated. I'm guessing seeds blew across the mulch, landed in just the right spot with just the right moisture and boom, pop up basil! We just don't have the heart to pull them up. I did pull up the weeds around them but hey, if we need basil this Fall, I'll just pop over to the garden and pull some up. Basil 2.0?
Side note, I will catch up comments tonight. Just hadn't been on the computer long enough to go back through them. We always read ALL of them of course, and now I need to go back and reply to as many as possible. Keep 'em coming!
What about you? Have you ever had a garden plant just randomly pop up and provide you with a second crop?
i have this happen a few times but we get too cold for them to produce. maybe you will get tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteWe don't get cold cold for a while longer so we might get something.
DeleteNot sure the tomatoes or the eggplant will give you any produce at this time of year in your local. The basil will fizzle once it gets close to freezing as it does not like the cold. Cilantro, on the other hand, likes the cold. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteOur first frost is usually early December. We'll see what happens in the next four weeks or so. Fingers crossed. It'll be fun to watch if nothing else, ha. Thanks!!!!
DeleteNothing like an unexpected bonus. Hope you're able to harvest something before your first frost.
ReplyDeleteUnexpected for sure. We'll definitely have basil, ha.
DeleteWe are enjoying some volunteer tomatoes. We harvested some beautiful green tomatoes before our first freeze. We're hoping for a warm spell long enough to allow these to ripen.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea, if we get some tomatoes to pull them green if necessary and hope to ripen them. Thanks!!
DeletePop up gardens are the best...always a sweet surprise.
ReplyDeletepop up gardens are definitely a sweet surprise. And hopefully a delicious surprise, ha.
DeleteNot sure how my suggestion will go given your climate but if you are a way off frost then perhaps you can cover them with clear plastic (turning it into a mini greenhouse) to prolong their growing period a bit, perhaps long enough to get fruit. I think I would be transplanting some of those basil into pots and having some at the farm and some in town. I am impressed with your self-sown eggplant, I have the devil of a time trying to get them to germinate.
ReplyDeleteOoh, yeah, we could definitely pull up those basil and pot them. Fresh basil in Winter would be nice. And great idea too with the clear plastic, I didn't think about that. Wish I could give some great advice on the eggplant, I am thinking we just got lucky, ha.
DeleteI always consider the volunteers and have been known to let tomato volunteers grow. Had a cantaloupe volunteer one year but gave up thinking it was not setting any fruit. When I cut it down, then I found the fruit. What an idiot I felt like then. You have the extra growing season, so make use of it.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely have the extra time. I'll see what we can let happen. Hey, it's not hurting anything, other than keeping me from cleaning up those particular raised beds but I'll take that excuse for now, ha. Thanks!!!
DeleteWhat a lovely surprise! Hope you get something from them.
ReplyDeleteNice way of putting it, it was a lovely surprise! I'll post what happens, good or bad, ha.
DeleteWhat happy surprises! “Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories…. Life finds a way.” (from movie ‘Jurassic Park’).
ReplyDeleteBasil, tomatoes, eggplant - I see a recipe brewing in 2nd Man’s brain!
I found a little tomato plant volunteer the other day - I’m going to transplant it to my kitchen garden by the back door. A few years ago, I found a tomato volunteer when I was preparing my spring garden - I transplanted it and it gave me oodles of tomatoes that spring/summer.
I LOVE that line from Jurassic Park. I quote that last part, "life finds a way" all the time.
DeleteWe'll see what makes it before the cold sets in. We can only hope. I love that you moved a little tomato and it was so happy it provided you all sorts of food. :-)