The Global Economy

I’m kind of new to this gardening thing, so there are some things that I am a little hazy about. Well, I have been gardening for a few decades, but I’m new to actually caring if things grow or not. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t “gone green” or anything, it’s just that the plants seem to be doing pretty good in spite of all that I haven’t done. I figure that if they have gone to the trouble about caring for themselves, then it behoves me to care a little also.

It is getting to be harvest time, and some things need to be looked after. The tomatoes are even starting to ripen on the vine this year. I know what to do with green tomatoes; you pick them the day the weatherman tells us that the first heavy frost of the season is coming that night. The light frosts or “maybe” frosts, you just toss a blanket or some plastic over the plants. Some of the leaves get frost bitten, but those green tomatoes are pretty hardy. When I have picked the green tomatoes, I put them in some stolen lettertainers covered with newspaper until they turn red or start to stink. Easy, peasy.

I’m hoping that I can do something with any surplus tomatoes. I try giving them away to the kids, but they only seem to want a couple which although a little helpful, doesn’t put a dent in the surplus. I suppose that I should learn something from this. Maybe next year I won’t even waste the water and just pick up the tomatoes I want at the market. The trouble is the market doesn’t sell green tomatoes as a rule. That is a problem for next year.

The carrots and potatoes I can just leave in the ground until well after the first frost I think. There is a very good chance they may stay there until next spring and end up feeding next year’s crop. I managed to harvest enough peas so that I will be able to plant peas next year without costing me anything, plus there were enough left over for one serving. It was a good year for peas. I have no idea what happened to the beans that I planted, but I have to assume the birds and mice made some meals from them.

This is the first year I have tried cucumbers, and it looks like they are doing pretty good. They are a little too big to become pickles, and a little too small to be good sized cucumbers. I am planning on having one tomorrow at lunch time, so if there is a blog tomorrow night then you can assume that I didn’t get sick.

The onions are the things I have the highest hopes for. They seem to have been growing pretty well all year and a few have gone to seed. Well, they have flowered and are presently making seeds. Onions shouldn’t cost me anything next year as well. I just read that when harvesting onions, you dig them up and leave them on the ground to dry for a few days. That part concerns me. I have a dog that likes to either shake things found on the ground or to piss on things on the ground. Either way it doesn’t bode well for the onions.

Worst case scenario is that I continue to buy my vegetables from the store and they in turn buy from some farmer in some country or another. I guess it is my small way of contributing to the global economy.