Is it fall session already? Where has this year gone? As we mentioned earlier, we can't put a name on the sessions, in this "fall" session the tomatoes and peppers are now in full swing! Next year we will simply call them Session I, II, and III.

 Speaking of next year, it is time to start planning for the 2013 season now.  We'd like some input so that our next season will be even better. What crops were your favorites? What crops were you surprised you liked? What would you like to see new next year?  Are the newsletters helpful? We've set up a Survey Monkey and will be emailing the link in a few days. Please give your feedback. We'll also post the questions on the webpage at www.jsminifarm.blogspot.com. 

 This year has not been kind to the bean crop(s). After our first planting was wiped out by the combination of hail, wind, heat, and no rain; the succession planting has been wiped out by bean beetles.

The chickens won’t even eat these nasty yellow larvae. When a crop is this badly infested all we can do is pull it up and destroy the plants. The Romano and Dragon Tongue beans were the worst affected, they have already been yanked. The Royal Burgundy is holding its own and has some baby beans. We may get a crop out of them. Our remaining hopes are pinned on the pole beans, which are just now flowering.

Good thing nothing stops the asparagus beans!

This week’s baskets will include a new type of sweet pepper. Meet Jimmy Nardello:

 This is an heirloom Italian frying/grilling pepper, but it is just as good raw. I often slice it and put it on pizza along with a few leaves of fresh basil. Don’t let its shape fool you-it is one of the sweetest peppers around.  Although it is good green, the flavor is superb when fully ripe and red. You’ll be glad we waited.

 And the tomatoes just keep growing, and growing……….

Here they are trying to stealthily creep on the ground. Where do they think they’re going?

LOTS more cherries!

On to the state of the cool weather crops, most are now in the ground.

Mizuna and kale.

And now that we have gotten some rain (Yay!) we have planted radish and carrot seeds.

Sprouting radishes

Sprouting carrots

It will be a race to see if they will mature in time, but there was no sense planting seed any earlier while we were so dry. Such is life without rain.

Now it’s time to hand pick off all the worms that have discovered the cool weather crops. At least the chickens like them!

 Jeff and Sandra