My garden is really taking off right now. Typically my garden peaks around the second week of July, but this most of it wasn't even planted up the middle of June. So everything is a bit behind. There have been a lot of challenges with all the rain we had this summer. The wet condition caused a lot of diseases, and more insect pest than usual. i really can't complain though, despite the challenges we are enjoying a wonderful harvest.
i don't really follow the rules when it comes to gardening. i tend to ignore planting times, i over plant my beds, and continue to plant stuff up until it frosts. My yellow wax beans have been producing well, but the mexican bean beetles have really tore them up. So i planted new beans in between the rows, and a soon as they beginning filling in i will pull the old beans. i tend to replant beans and summer squash every three weeks for a continuous harvest.
i new my tomatoes were struggling, and the minute i realized weather conditions were favoring blight, i planted cucumber and beans in with the tomatoes. It has worked out well, as one by one i have to remove tomato plants, then beans and squash are filling in so despite having to pull all the tomatoes, there will not be an empty spot. In the early spring i plant cucumbers in with my sugar peas, so as the peas begin to die back the cucs are starting to climb. i tend to have a constant rotation of fresh veggie this ay, and am able to grow a lot more in smaller spaces.
The late blight that hit my tomatoes also hit my potatoes.. Most years my potatoes would already be done by now, and by the time the late blight hit they would have already died back. They were planted late though, and so the blight attacked the foliage. i've been out there the last couple days trying to dig my potatoes. i have to get them out of the ground as soon as possible, or the will rot in the ground if the blight gets to the tubers. So i have a lot of small potatoes this year. i am not sure if they will store well this winter, as this point i have no where to put them any way. So far it doesn't appear that the blight has reached any of the tubers, so i think they'll be okay. i planted red, white and purple just for fun. i really enjoy lots of color in the garden.
i planted lots of purple again this year. The Cherokee purple tomatoes are planted in a different garden, and so far they have no sign of blight. They are the only tomatoes i've been able to harvest this year. i have Amish paste and a few other varieties in that garden, so i'm really hoping the blight will somehow miss that bed and i'll get to harvest some of them.
The purple pole beans are a favorite, i plant them every year and they will continue to produce up until the frost. i also planted cosmic carrots again. They are a reddish purple on the outside and a yellow orange on the inside. i'd like to find some that are purple all the way through. i planted purple sprouting broccoli this spring, the plants look great, but so far it hasn't sprouted at all.
i have a bunch of cucumbers and melons planted this year too. They are growing and flowering well but have not shown any signs that they are going to fruit. The strangely cool temperatures seem to really be affecting pollination. We still have enough summer that i should get to harvest some if it would just warm up a bit.
i picked up quite a few new heirloom veggie seeds from BBB seeds when they were having a half off sale last week. So i am working on pulling all my spring cold crops and planting my late summer/ fall garden. i'm putting in three different kinds of beets, kale, chard, broccoli and lots of lettuces. i really can't believe i am even saying 'late summer/fall'. Having only been here for two months, i feel like summer is really just starting. School is starting in a week, and i am so not ready for that. So much change and it doesn't feel like it will slow down any time soon.
We are signing papers tonight and will soon begin the rebuilding of our home.
It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home. ~Author Unknown
Beautiful harvest!! Your family is very lucky!!
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