September Harvest Time

Here in southern Germany its a hot harvest time and I am hopelessly under-staffed here at Witch Valley, meaning I am the sole harvester! The orchard apples and plums needed picking a week ago, so I am behind as usual because I went to Cuba for 2 weeks and had a look at their organic crops. Organic because there is no such thing as chemical sprays or fertiliser, they just don't have it. What they do have is a lot of horses and cows, probably the best fertiliser, if you can get it. In Cuba it is all smallholders farming and you'll see them standing on the roads in the countryside selling their wares to the cars and carriages passing by. They also travel to the towns and the city of Havana and sell to restaurants and locals. Their diet is mainly rice, chicken, fish, pork and beef, and lots of fruit and vegetables, but don't expect everything to be on the menu, delivery is never sure in Cuba.

Although a poor country, you don't see anyone starving on the streets. There is enough for everyone to go around and there is a great feeling of community among the people. Something I would wish for more of in western developed countries.

So back to my harvest...

This is what vegetables can look like without pesticides and chemical fertilisers. The only problem I had in spring was with the slugs that chomped my entire crop of celeriac, pole beans and peas that I had to re-seed and protect. I am very proud of my carrots this year because it is the first time that they haven't been crooked or warped and dwarfed and is the result of the double digging I did on the plot.

My Swede/Rutabaga is still in the ground and tastes sweeter with a little frost, so it will stay in until winter.

From front to back: Savoy and red cabbage, broccoli, parsnips, Hamburg parsley.
The aluminium border you see there is my slug fence.

This seasons failures:

Leeks - transplants died after transplanting. Seeding didn't show.
Onions - dito
Carrots - one type came the other suffered
Beetroot - very slow, still waiting!