Freeze Warning and Frenzied Chilli Harvest
It’s been a busy few days. Late last week we had a freeze (not just frost) warning which in early October is a little early. I wasn’t expecting a freeze until the 15th or so. If you’re in the US you can use this handy tool to get an approximation of when to expect fall frosts as well as spring thaws. Anyway, with the freeze warning it was time to pull in some crops. The chillies in particular need to come in, as they are the least frost tolerant. Cabbages and Brussels sprouts can wait a bit. The carrots and beets could have also waited but once I got going there was no stopping me.
On Friday evening I must have been an awful sight for the next door neighbors returning after dark to see their crazed gardener neighbor standing in the harsh glare of the spotlight, feverishly stripping and sorting peppers, head obscured by hot breath swirling in the crisp air. They gave a quick nervous hello and scurried into the warmth of their house. Sometimes I think they are the smart ones.
Stripping pepper plants by hand takes longer than you might expect (this was a recurring theme by the time it was all over.) It is not a leisurely stroll out to the garden, glass of wine in hand, picking a few choice veggies for dinner in the soft evening sunlight as it is in the summer. It was a mad dash in the dark to save the vegetables!
I must admit, after about an hour and a half, I was not so fastidious in my work and the driveway looks like a pepper-killing field. But oh the bounty! I pulled in nearly 20 lbs of peppers, and almost 5 lbs of Indian peppers alone from two plants. Unfortunately after this
picture the battery in the camera died.
That done, I staggered around, dragging the wired halogen spotlight around the garden, stripping the last of the green beans (2.5 lbs), green tomatoes (7+ lbs), pulled the carrots (another 7+ lbs) and the beets (13 lbs). I gave the stripped potato bed another going through and dug up another nearly 4 lbs. I‘m very glad I checked!
At some point, the Accountant poked her head out the back door, “Are you wearing shorts?” Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she retreated into the warmth of the house.
When I finally finished, it was deep into the evening. I was sweaty, tired, my hands dirty and thumbnails stained green from severing stems but I was happy. I’d pulled in more than 55 lbs in a single evening to bring the current total to just under 320 lbs or about 145 Kg. That’s in 188 square feet of planting beds.
Sure there are others who produce (I love that pun) far more. But to get almost 1.7 lbs/sq ft in a small suburban garden, while working full time seems quite satisfactory to me.
It would be great if the story stopped here, but….
It has to go into jars, the freezer or the dehydrator before it spoils. But that’s another post.
Have had a freeze yet?
Until next time, Keep Digging and Eat Well!
October 10, 2012
that is amazing work! when i lived in the city and worked in my garden until it got dark, my neighbors woudl yell out at me ” GO IN THE HOUSE! ITS TOO LATE FOR THAT!” i loved it.. hee hee hee
October 10, 2012
Feels funny trying to get’er done when everyone else is partying or going to bed… But I’m trying not to have any waste.
October 10, 2012
That’s an incredible amount for a night’s harvest and your total for the year thus far is really remarkable, Dave. Congratulations! I do not blame you one iota for working into the night trying to save your harvest. Our gardens were more work than normal this year and that’s without the storm damage you endured. It would have been a shame to lose so much due to an unexpected freeze. Now, you’ll be broadly smiling all winter whenever you use anything requiring these beautiful chilis. Well done!
October 10, 2012
Ya know John, I totally forgot about the storm damage… Except that I don’t have any trees in the yard anymore… Oh we’ve got chillies, and carrots, and beets and jalapenos, and, and, and… I’m still working on it!
October 11, 2012
Hahaha.. I know I shouldn’t laugh, what with all your hard work, but I keep picturing you in your shorts working feverishly.. and when you called it a “pepper killing field” I laughed out loud!! I’m so impressed with your harvest.. and I can’t wait to see what you do with it all!! Your neighbors will be jealous when they see your window lined up with sparkling jars of produce:D
October 12, 2012
Thanks Barbara! Actually a laugh was was I was going for! It was hard work but worth it.
October 15, 2012
Oh I did chuckle David when I read this! Yes the produce gathered was very impressive indeed, and in such a relatively small gardening space…but…the truly impressive thing was you out there in the dark of the night in shorts at this time of year…such dedication indeed!
October 15, 2012
It was pretty funny in retrospect … at the time I felt quite harried.
November 8, 2012
That is a great amount of production. You aren’t the only crazy one out their with headlamps. I have used them to harvest and to plant. Looks like a joyous harvest.
November 9, 2012
It was a good harvest Spencer – just a bit a harried…