What's happening in the late edible August garden

Garden in the morning

Saturday, August 22, 2020

August sees the full swing of the summer garden harvests.  Late sweet corn (plant corn in succession and different varieties to lengthen the harvest), summer squashes (like zucchini), peppers of all types (sweet to hot, hot), tomatoes, Mediterranean herbs, cucumbers, okra, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, beans, melons, figs, eggplant, honey, artichokes, raspberries, onion, and fennel are all in season in the Midwest.  

This year for warm season veggies, I am harvesting zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, greens, sprouting broccoli, Egyptian walking onions, eggplant, cucumbers, goji berry, green beans, spaghetti squash, okra, watermelon, stevia, basil and other herbs.  I planted my second round of zucchini plants last month and they has just started to produce.  For zucchini, it is a good idea to replant at the beginning of July to keep the harvest going.  Many do the same with tomatoes.  I did transplant 3 tomatoes in the last two weeks and they all look really healthy and are flowering.

If you are not growing summer veggies in your own garden, your local farmers market is a great place to pick up these seasonal veggies to either eat or preserve.  The best buy on any fruit or vegetable is when it is in season.  You can get even better deals on any produce that has a few blemishes which have no effect on the flavor.  If you are going to can, freeze or dry them, just be sure to remove any blemishes first.  Preservation garden

I pick what to have in our garden based on the harvest per foot of garden space needed.  Our garden is incorporated into the flower garden mulch bed and in pots, so we have to be choiceful on what to grow.

In pots, we have had great luck with Egyptian walking onions (which can be harvested year round), peppers, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, greens, fig, columnar apple, passion flower, sweet bay, mint, goji berry, raspberry, lettuce and celery.

I harvested the spaghetti squash about a month ago and have started harvesting the second round of fruits.  

Spaghetti squash sitting on hummingbird vine

I have tried sweet and hot peppers in pots and the garden.  Overall, they seem to do the best in pots.  I am growing a few hot peppers-a pequin type Chiptle, cayenne, and Jalapeño.  I use the tiny peppers in my season salt I make, the cayenne for hot sauce, and Jalapeño in salsa.

Preserving peppers

My sweet peppers are doing well.  I  have gotten many peppers off my Pimento and several off the sweet pepper plants.  I planted all my peppers very late this year so they are doing well for how long they have been growing.

Peppers are for every taste and garden

I had one squash plant die from the vine borer.  Plant after June 1 to miss this insect or do a second planting in June or July.  

Growing zucchini and summer squash

What to do with all that zucchini?!

I have one tomato in a pot that stays small, Little Napoli, and it has done very well.  Look for compact varieties if growing in a pot or in limited space in the garden.  Choosing which tomatoes to grow  

Weekly watering for plants in the ground is sufficient with monthly fertilizing.  A pot with a water reservoir in the bottom is the best solution for lengthening the time between waterings when growing in pots.  Otherwise, plan on watering your pots every 2-3 days and fertilize every other week.  Summer garden tips

I grow all of our herbs in the ground except sweet bay.  Sweet bay is a tender perennial and will not survive winters outside so I keep it in a pot to bring in each fall.    I had one a couple of years ago that was supposed to be hardy in our zone and it didn’t make it.  I put my new ones in pots and they have overwintered well in our unheated garage for the last two winters.  Fall is a good time to plant perennial herbs, veggies, fruits and flowers.

Midwest Perennial Vegetable Garden

Rosemary is also tender.  I have tried the several varieties that are supposed to be able to survive a Midwest winter and have yet to find one that will last past 2 seasons.  I have tried to also keep in a pot and bring in each winter, but have not had good luck with this approach, but many do.  So, this is an herb I will buy each spring if overwintering does not work out, plant in the garden, then preserve for the winter by harvesting late in the season and drying.

Harvest and preserve your herbs

Make your own "Herbes de Provence"

Flowers are doing great right now in the garden.  They are covered in beneficial insects and butterflies.  The zinnias, marigolds, dahlias, Hummingbird vine, and Cock's Comb are putting on a big show.  All but the Hummingbird vine are also edible.  Flowers that are edible

Red zinnia

A quick reminder, save the seeds from your best performers that have been disease free to plant next year.  You can replant seeds from any heirlooms or open pollinated plants.  What do the terms GMO, natural, heirloom, organic, hybrid really mean?  Not only does it save you money, but it also gives you the plants that do the best under your garden and zone conditions.

Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver