Fenton Friday: Harvest Time

 

Last week I was in Portland, OR, attending the GardenComm annual conference. The gardens there are enviable -- to say the least, but it is good to be home and take stock of the plot. We had some rain and moderate heat, so I was pleased to see the tomatoes are all finally ripening. I picked two cereal bags (I like to re-use them for harvesting in the garden) full of the 'Citrine', 'Sun Gold', 'Purple Tomato', and 'Fourth of July'. (The Purple Tomatoes are pictured above.)

I asked fellow community plot gardeners to harvest Okra while I was away, I think a few did, but I still came back to some past their prime. So I picked and composted those woody/long ones, then gathered any that looked decent.

The Cucamelon vine is also starting to be very productive and I gathered a handfull of those.

Elsewhere in the plot, the Basil plants have all gone to flower and I will not bother pinching them back any more. The Purple Pole Beans seem to have petered out and I think the 'Fairy Tale' Eggplant is done too. The 'Thriller' Squash has a few fruits still forming on the vine, so I'll leave that in for now.

Next week, the new Fall interns and I will be planting a lot of cool-season crops, so I'll need to clear out some areas for that.

Meanwhile, I'm gathering all the Dahlias, Zinnias, Gomphrena, etc. that I can from our plot and pollinator strip (and my home garden) for my Flower Arranging Talk/Demo at the DC State Fair this Sunday. It is FREE and open to all. Please join me at the Education Stage at 1:00pm for some fun playing with flowers! Then I'll be at the Main Stage judging the Flower Arranging Contest for even more flower fun!

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Meet the New Fall 2026 Interns

This fall, I have taken on two editorial interns. Look for their author bylines in our upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine issues, our YouTube videos, GardenDC Podcast, and on this blog. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers so you can get to know them.

Hello everyone! My name is Jackson Wantman, and I am thrilled to be interning for the Washington Gardener this semester! A little bit about me: I am a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and I also have a concentration in business management. I am originally from Needham, Massachusetts, which is just about 25 minutes south of Boston. I’ve always loved journalism and broadcasting, and I’m excited to bring that passion to this internship. My past journalism and writing experience is mostly in sports, as I’ve covered beats for one of our on-campus publications, WMUC Sports, calling games for student radio, and serving as the social media manager for the WMUC Sports social media pages. However, I’m very excited to branch out into this new field and produce so much different content for you all! Coming into this internship, I had no idea there were so many people passionate about gardening, and I’m grateful to be able to put those interests on display. You will see stories, profiles, videos, and more from me and the rest of the crew here, and I look forward to a fulfilling and fun semester!

Hi, my name is Jennifer Baxter and I am a sophomore journalism major at the University of Maryland (UMD) in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism! I hope to eventually minor in general business and voice in the near future. I am an active member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority at UMD, and on the side I try to act, write, and sing as much as possible. I have been a part of over eight choirs in my lifetime including the Maryland All State Choir in 2024. I am ecstatic to be interning for Washington Gardener Magazine this fall semester to learn more about the art of writing while also getting the opportunity to learn how to garden. On the UMD campus, I serve as social media director and a staff writer for Her Campus Maryland, a digital women’s magazine. I happily write the weekly newsletter writer for Stories Beneath the Shell, a digital on campus newspaper, and am the fundraising chair for the Society of Professional Journalists and a volunteer for Capital News Service as a camera and audio operator. Since 2023, I have created and continue to write my monthly column “Gen Z thru Jen B” for Stroll Ijamsville Magazine and am the self-published author of my poetry book, “Behind the Walls of a Beautiful Mind,” available on Amazon. In the little free time that I do have, I love to spend time with my friends and family whether it be while thrift shopping, record sifting, or relaxing at a coffee shop. On the opposite end of my interests, I enjoy going to the gym, playing basketball, and walking around my hometown neighborhood in Frederick, Maryland. I am honored to have the opportunity to walk our audience through a garden of book reviews, articles, and interviews this fall!