Shaker Garden Thread: September Edition

Howdy Shakers! September is here, and for some us that means fall is here full-on, while summer of us are in a late/summer early fall--and if you're down under, make that spring, early spring/late winter! How are your gardening projects looking?

As you can see above, I've harvested some pumpkins and have a few gourds drying. Most of the gourds I'm trying to leave on the vine to dry, but these had something nasty befall their vines, so I cut them early to cure. The gourds have been a really easy crop overall and definitely thrive in this climate. I've even gotten a few luffahs, although I think it will be another month for most of them.

Meanwhile the pumpkins have been a mixed bunch. As you can see in the first picture, I got exactly one cheese type pumpkin this year, a small Musquee de Provence. They just didn't set fruit very well. I've had better luck with the two kinds of Seminole Pumpkins I'm growing (one large, one the traditional small type that hangs on the vine). I was having real trouble with pickleworms boring into the fruit, and then i hit on this:

After having read about one blogger's discovery of paper bags against pickleworm, I decided to try a barrier method myself. The moths are active at night, and the worms hatch during the day and night. So once I had a fertilized flower, I removed the blossom (sometimes with worms already in it! grrr!) and put cut-off hosiery around the small pumpkin, securing it with a twist tie, as above. So far I have not had any more holes bored into these pumpkins--pretty miraculous, since the pickleworms are still attacking tender vine shoots, flowers, etc. It is, admittedly a small sample of 5 pumpkins, but since I was finding holes in every. single. pumpkin. before, I am cautiously optimistic about this technique.

Although the leaf-footed bugs devastated my tomatoes, I've been pretty happy with some of my other projects. I got two rhubarb plants through the hot Southern summer with some dappled shade and a lot of water. I also got a "Hurricane Katrina/Peggy Martin" rose started and kept the deer from devouring it, thanks to the partner's jawesome fence-building. And the potted banana and pineapples have really taken off this year. (A Greater American Beaglemix models alongside the banana, above, for your convenience in judgeing scale.) The only challenge will be getting it back into the house this winter, as it gets too cold here to leave it outside.

Shakers, how does your garden grow? Whether it's some pots on the rooftop or windowsill, indoor plants, flower beds, or many acres, feel free to share your stories here. (As a commenting reminder, please respect that different people have different goals and needs in their gardens; this is a thread for sharing rather than judgement. Thanks!)