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| July garden at sunset |
Saturday, July 11, 2020
This year's garden is behind previous years for summer vegetables. We had a typical spring with cool days into May. We have not had that in years. The summer veggies were planted about 3 weeks later than in recent years.
We are harvesting white eggplants, zucchini, yellow prolific squash, cucumbers, hot peppers, sprouting broccoli, coriander, dill, summer greens, herbs, garlic, onions, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, goji berries, aronia berries and a few tomatoes. The flowers are very happy, too!
We had to start watering the garden beds 3 weeks ago. We are not getting as much rain as we have in the last few years. Garden beds need a deep watering once a week. If I don't get at least 1" of rain during the week, I do a deep watering with a drip hose. Summer garden tips
I need to dig the garlic. Garlic harvest is here! I'll pickle the smaller cloves and save the larger cloves for fall planting. Have garlic any time you need it, just pickle some! I've found this is the best way to preserve garlic for using year round. I tried keeping the whole cloves, but most would disintegrate by early winter.
I just started getting ripe tomatoes this week. Most look good, but a few look like they may have a root fungus. I have done a bacterial drench and will do another before the next rain to get it watered in well to the roots. I am using two different kinds to give a variety in the soil. Most tomato plants are loaded with tomatoes. For what we can't eat, I'll freeze to save for making soups, sauces, roasts, and salsa all winter. Preserving the tomato harvest
Cucumbers just started producing this week. I had to do a second planting this year as the transplants in May didn't make it. I just direct sowed seed in the garden. All came up and are going to town on the trellis. I planted Fancy Green Slicer, White Wonder, and Long Green Improved. The white ones are ready for picking. The others are blooming so won't be long!
If you have more cucumbers than you can eat, make pickles! Make your own pickles without a store bought seasoning mix
We had to start watering the garden beds 3 weeks ago. We are not getting as much rain as we have in the last few years. Garden beds need a deep watering once a week. If I don't get at least 1" of rain during the week, I do a deep watering with a drip hose. Summer garden tips
I need to dig the garlic. Garlic harvest is here! I'll pickle the smaller cloves and save the larger cloves for fall planting. Have garlic any time you need it, just pickle some! I've found this is the best way to preserve garlic for using year round. I tried keeping the whole cloves, but most would disintegrate by early winter.
I just started getting ripe tomatoes this week. Most look good, but a few look like they may have a root fungus. I have done a bacterial drench and will do another before the next rain to get it watered in well to the roots. I am using two different kinds to give a variety in the soil. Most tomato plants are loaded with tomatoes. For what we can't eat, I'll freeze to save for making soups, sauces, roasts, and salsa all winter. Preserving the tomato harvest
Cucumbers just started producing this week. I had to do a second planting this year as the transplants in May didn't make it. I just direct sowed seed in the garden. All came up and are going to town on the trellis. I planted Fancy Green Slicer, White Wonder, and Long Green Improved. The white ones are ready for picking. The others are blooming so won't be long!
If you have more cucumbers than you can eat, make pickles! Make your own pickles without a store bought seasoning mix
We have been getting summer squash for the last couple of weeks. The Early Prolific yellow squash was doing great, but died this week. Looks like the vine borer got to it. With summer squash, the vine borer will lay eggs in the stalks if you plant before June 1, which I did. I sowed more seeds this week to replace them. To be more proactive, the best bet is to plant in May and then again mid June so your harvest is not interrupted. The bush zucchinis I planted are still looking good so we'll continue to get summer squash for the season. Everything you need to know to grow squash
We have been harvesting white eggplant for a couple of weeks now. The other varieties I planted, Bianca Rosa and Amadeo are large, but have not started blooming. I have been using insecticidal soap on the greenery when pollinators are not flying to keep the flea beetle population in check on the eggplants. They just decimate the leaves in our garden. All my eggplant are grown in pots. I tried letting them "come in balance" for the last 5 years, but no luck. Just be sure to not spray pollinators. Even though insecticidal soap is an organic use insecticide, it does not differentiate between good and bad insects. We don't typically have many extra eggplant to preserve. I have tried the freezing route in the past, but have not been impressed with the taste. I may try to dry them this year. Dehydrate or sun dry your extra veggies
I freeze the extra strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, blanching is not needed for these fruits to preserve the flavor. I dry the goji berries.
I am using purple and green orach, Hilton Chinese cabbage, kale, sprouting broccoli, New Zealand spinach, and cultivated dandelions for salads. For kale, sprouting broccoli, mustard and other summer greens extras, I will blanch and freeze them. Freezing the extras for winter
For all my herbs, there is plenty to use fresh with extras to harvest. I will dry them. I am currently doing cilantro, fennel, coriander, bay and sage. As thyme gets bigger, I will dry some of it too. Harvest and preserve your herbs This year, I don't need to preserve basil as I have lots of pesto left from the last couple of years in the freezer. Pesto is my favorite way of preserving basil. Basil basics-harvesting, preserving, growing basil
Oregano is in full bloom. The bees love the flowers! It could be cut and dried now, but I love the flowers and will wait until fall.
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