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A Race Against the Weather

September 27th, 2010

Remember that batch of fall cucumbers I planted hoping for a late September or early October harvest of cucumbers before the first frost? Well, they’re doing well. They quickly climbed their supports and are blooming prolifically, which the bees are loving. I spotted the first baby cucumber late last week and I’ve been keeping my eye on it.


It looks like I should get a decent harvest, unless we get an early frost or the weather turns cold earlier than normal. I should be able to pick my first cucumber later this week, perhaps tomorrow!

Here’s hoping for another large jar of pickles in the fridge to feast on all winter long!

Do you have any crops you’re hoping to harvest before frost sets comes in your garden?

12 Comments to “A Race Against the Weather”
  1. Renee on September 27, 2010 at 8:54 am

    I planted some fall cucumbers (mostly because your posts gave me the idea!), but I think I was a bit on the late side. I was hopeful since the weather was so hot here in VA last week that I had enough time. They just came up a couple days ago, so we’ll see if they produce anything before the frost comes! We got our first steady rain in a LONG time here yesterday, so that should help.

    I planted radishes and lettuce, too.

    I also have a plan to cover the plants with a clear storage bin to create a mini greenhouse if the frost comes early, so we’ll see how they do :)

    Reply to Renee's comment

    • Susy on September 27, 2010 at 9:11 am

      You might make it down in VA. I might cover mine if I need more cucumbers. It’s fun to try to beat the seasons sometimes.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Debbie on September 27, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    We planted a fall crop of peas and they are doing really well – better than our spring peas. Many of them are full size, but not quite filled out yet. Of course we also did lettuce, beets and chard. The lettuce is doing great, but the chard is looking a little sad and the squirrels got the beets. Dang it all. Ah, well, peas in September/October is good enough for me. :)

    Reply to Debbie's comment

  3. Shannon on September 27, 2010 at 2:09 pm

    Wow I didn’t even know you could plant fall cucumbers. {ignorant}. Our tomatoes are still working on ripening. We have been getting a lot, just not enough to turn on the canner. Good thing I put up about 60 quarts from the farmer :).

    Reply to Shannon's comment

  4. Kim on September 27, 2010 at 6:11 pm

    Lettuce & beets

    Reply to Kim's comment

  5. Sandy on September 27, 2010 at 6:54 pm

    Wow – now you’ve got me thinking. We didn’t get a good crop of cucumbers this year and we don’t get frost until late – maybe I should give this a try. Did you plant a type that specific for fall or just one with a short growing period. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply to Sandy's comment

    • Susy on September 27, 2010 at 7:51 pm

      I just grew the kind I had seeds for. I’m guessing you could find a variety that fruits rather quickly, mine took 55 days. You usually have to add 2 weeks to account for the reduced daylight hours for fall/winter gardening (depending on where you live).

      Reply to Susy's comment

  6. Jaspenelle on September 27, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    Purple poded pole beans, between some fast moving pest and a toddler none of my plants survived this summer. I planted some late putting their fruiting very close to the first frost. I harvested the first ones yesterday. (Loving the variety!)

    Cucumbers, I am envious! I have yet to have mine survive till fruiting. Maybe next year!

    Reply to Jaspenelle's comment

  7. Ryan on September 27, 2010 at 8:10 pm

    An acorn squash that is about the size of a baseball now. Plus some pole beans that were planted late when he found the stash for next year in the garage and dumped them on our grass.

    Reply to Ryan's comment

  8. Tracy on September 28, 2010 at 8:23 am

    We have a second planting of green beans in. Thankfully, the beans are on the plants; they are just small yet. We also did a second round of zucchini and yellow squash. Every year we try, and every year it starts to grow and then dies. This year we had success. We’ve had several squash already and the plants are full of blossoms.

    Reply to Tracy's comment

  9. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mark mile and Lynn Bailey, Susy Morris. Susy Morris said: A Race Against the Weather http://goo.gl/fb/7M3oO #edible #wintergardening #cucumbers #growingcucumbers […]

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  10. Wendy on September 29, 2010 at 1:09 am

    Our cukes are in about the same predicament as yours. Here’s hoping for a few more days of warm weather!

    Reply to Wendy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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