So begins the mid summer challenge. As much produce as we are gaining (tons of tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, beans, and peppers mostly), we are losing plants every day. Lettuce is bolting, as is the last of the broccoli. The onions are finished growing and need to be picked and cured. Everything that was vibrant in the spring and early summer is making its seeds for the coming year. There are bald spots in what used to be, just a few weeks ago, filled with life.
Over the weekend we sowed the beginnings of our fall garden: Gourmet Blend Beets, Watermelon Radishes, and Purple Haze and King Midas Carrots. We planted some extra winter squash seeds (Delicata Honey Boat), and some more Sakata's Sweet Melon, which so far has been a failure, but try and try again! This week we will plant some new onions, snap peas, more pole beans, and a round of lettuce, which will get covered from the August heat with a burlap tent. I am going to plant successive rows of lettuce this time around. The method I am going to use is to plant two rows of lettuce at a time (the rows will be about 3' long, and when the seedlings are about 1.5"s tall, it's time to plant two more rows).
Albeit so exciting to plant anything, it is bittersweet. I am already feeling the end of summer. We even have a beautiful orange baby pumpkin already. I am anticipating that chill in the air, leaves falling, saying goodbye to another year...
XXX
Yvette
PS. Thank you to my dear dear friend Suzi Varin for the beautiful photo!!!!!!
6 comments:
Good luck with the fall garden! I'm heading in that direction too. Beets, mizuna, kale, carrots, peas, chard, lettuce and some other things I can't remember.
Growing what you eat is always bittersweet. Your vegetable garden sounds amazing and lush. Your list of vegetables puts me to shame. I am making some roasted tomato soup from the glut of tomatoes, but it's way too early for me to start my cold season vegetables. Thanks for the nifty picture too.
The shadows are lengthening! The shadows are lengthening!
Our fall garden is mostly planted. We're trying the "three sisters" planting (corn followed by beans and pumpkins). The corn is already up...now for the rest, I guess.
That is a great pic,btw.
Yvette was lamenting the passing of summer last night by noting the shortening days. She mentioned this as the last light in the sky could be seen - at 8pm!
Me, I'm not ready to let go of summer quite yet. There's still 5 weeks left after all. So, as Yvette is planting for the fall I'm going to see if I can't squeeze out another tomato harvest.
Fall schmall!
I've gotta start my fall garden! Can't wait to have lettuce again. Peas too! Carrots have been hard for me to grow. I'm trying different methods. Very nice photo! The perspective feels very deep.
I'm in denial about fall still... I planted some cukes, zukes and melons...hehe We'll see how they fare.
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