No. 73: Maturation

One week of cold weather in September doesn't yet worry us as garden enthusiasts. After a second week, we become a bit more concerned. What about those pumpkins that aren't ripe yet? Will we bring the garden table and chairs inside? Will the mildew win over my plants?
What we have been able to test in recent days, at least, is the garden's drainage. Where it stayed wet for a long time, we'll need to get to work in the winter or spring. Raising the ground or draining, digging ditches to a lower point where the water can go. Plants that stay wet for too long (with the exception of marsh or aquatic plants) will not survive the winter well (or at all).
If your plants are now completely white with mildew, then you should just let that happen. Perennial plants will drop their leaves soon anyway (be sure to remove them thoroughly), and fruiting vegetables won't benefit much more from living leaves. Some of you will have faithfully sprayed your crops with sulfur to prevent fungal infections. During dry periods (and certainly in the greenhouse), it is useful to continue with this.
Just back to the fruiting vegetables... Your pumpkins won't ripen much more now. Keep an eye on them to make sure no rot or mold spots appear on the fruits. If the fruits are already fairly ripe, but not yet entirely "in color," then harvesting soon is advisable. Many fruits are still able to ripen indoors. You can immediately process overly unripe fruits into soup, and very unripe pumpkins can simply be treated like a zucchini, cut into cubes, and stir-fried. After all, a zucchini is nothing more than an unripe pumpkin.
For the grapes, things are getting a bit exciting now. Every warm day (with some wind) would be welcome; if the fruits get a gray mold (Botrytis), you shouldn't wait too long to harvest. The strongest tomatoes are still proudly waiting for the sun. Who knows, there might still be good days ahead, otherwise the green fruits can ripen a bit more indoors, or be processed into a delicious chutney.
Many cabbage varieties and endives are not (or precisely not) bothered by this type of weather. Lettuce and radicchio, on the other hand, you might need to remove the bottom leaves to help them a bit. If you still have individual questions about your garden's crops: feel free to email me; I try to answer as many questions as possible during this period.

Do you know that feeling? A plan forms in your mind... you talk about it and receive tips and additions from many sides. Some are useful, the ‘eureka moment’ can spontaneously appear, while other comments at most convince you not to choose that direction.
These months, I’m full of small and large plans. Some concern the immediate future, such as moving plants from here to you (see our last Newsletter, where we started the Garden Clearance). Some concern the coming months, during which we will have our entire building repainted: necessary maintenance and a beautiful appearance go hand in hand here. It feels a bit strange to be tinkering with your house while a hurricane elsewhere shook everything up...
Furthermore, we are expanding the work and storage space for our "Filling Team" on our first floor. A breakthrough into a former living space will provide for this. The "seed filling" season used to be mainly from December to April, but now that team is super busy all year round. Our seeds come in from all over the world and need to be distributed into our own packaging.
Last year, I already indicated that after our 90th-anniversary celebration, 2017 would be dedicated to the company takeover. If you explain something like that carefully, the rumour immediately spreads that I am going to quit. Rest assured: I will be 60 in six months and hope (health permitting) to continue for a few more years. To give a complex company like ours a fruitful future, you naturally have to embark on a long transfer process. A specialized company is currently determining the company’s value (my pension), and 3 serious candidates have already come forward. Of course, I have wishes and dreams; the two most important are a good financial settlement and a guaranteed future for my employees.
I may participate in a significant move to a larger location with a lot of land around it to become an even greater shopping center for the cultivation of seeds and young plants. I myself have witnessed growth against my will for the past 20 years. I had to push my company to a certain size to realize my dream of a large assortment. Currently, I am walking in my own dream... Are you a serious candidate to continue Vreeken's Zaden? I would be happy to explain what is involved.