Early August was hot and dry, with some days up to 90 and 92 degrees F. Starting last Sunday the weather has cooled down to highs in the 60's and low 70's, and the rains have returned. Makes a person feel 10 years younger. Didn't hurt any to see that my semi-annual medical check-up gave me a reasonably good report. At least all the numbers on the chart were in the right places.
Tomatoes
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| First red tomato, August 6 |
We got our first red tomato on August 6, but also evidence of tomato wilt. I went through the whole tomato patch, trimming the wilt from the plants that looked otherwise healthy, and pulling and discarding a number of plants that appeared to have gone too far. It seems to have worked, as for the last two weeks we've been able to harvest another dozen or so healthy tomatoes from the Early Girl plants that remain. The heritage tomatoes are still green, but at least they're not showing signs of wilt at this time. Hoping for a good canning season to start soon.
Cabbage and other early crops
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| Cabbages have been plentiful |
The cabbages have been coming in for some time now, forming nice, tight, worm-free heads that make the best cole slaw and cooked cabbage you can imagine. I've been remembering to spray them with my garlic powder, cayenne pepper and dish soap concoction after each rain. If you want to try it, I used about a tablespoon of each ingredient in a gallon of water. Add the dish soap last or it will be difficult to mix.
The other cold weather crops like carrots, broccoli, potatoes, onions, beets and salads have been plentiful and tasty. The peas were done by mid July, when the green beans started coming in. We ate all the peas, but were able to freeze 10 quarts of green beans.
Coming soon
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| Watermelon ready soon |
I'm looking forward to a few watermelons soon, followed by pumpkins and winter squash. We've used some of our young carrots in the cole slaw, but most will stay in the ground until it's time to come in for winter storage.
Like many other worthwhile endeavors, gardening and homesteading are not exact sciences. Enjoy the successes and learn from the failures. Better health and better eating to all.
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| Is Halloween coming early this year? |
