Sept harvest

I don't actually own a camera. Almost doesn't make running a blog worth it. My girlfriend designing a blog header that is nothing short of incredible, certainly does. Anyway, we have yet to pick some tomatoes, a cuke, some crookneck squash, a birdhouse gourd, broccoli, and some spinach I just sowed. The tomatoes are staying there, because they all taste like...beef? Not fresh beef either, the kind you'd bring back to the store. Every variety (4) and over the last few weeks. It has to be something in the soil, then, not in timing, and I recall the only reason they grew was a 16-16-16 chemical fertilizer I used heavily for them this summer. It's suspicious, since they grew better than the rest of my garden (except the peas) but they're the only crop that tastes off. Visually they look perfect. And look, about those cheap wire tomato cages, even my malnourished, water-starved plants took those down. I don't understand how they keep selling when they can't hold any kind of tomato ever?

As I look on, over my sad kingdom of struggling vegetable citizenry, I realize the true impact of good soil. Wihtout organic matter and/or mulch, the soil couldn't retain water and my plants dried out daily. Without nutrients, vegetables idle, stagnate or turn yellow and wither away, depending on how deprived that variety is. This makes gardening a big waste of time. I'm debating expanding the garden, and going to an automatic drip system, but I will not be debating soil amendments come spring. I can hardly wait, but for now I will preoccupy myself with a "fall crop" of spinach. Mmmm iron.