The Late July Garden: Remind Me Next Year
These cucumbers have slowed down but continue to produce a few every couple of days so I am loathe to cut ’em down and manure them. I can’t believe how productive they have been; remind me next year.
Not much of what we’ve planted in June through August works but okra is never happier than on these triple digit days. Remind me of that next year.
How do I always forget how wonderful black-eyed peas are? They produce a lot of delicious beans, need very little water, and are by far easier to find and pick than bush beans. Also, they don’t just tolerate the heat – they love it! Planting four times as much would not be too many; remind me next year.
Oh, these pumpkins. Some are orange and taking up counter space, others are plump and green on the vine, and still others are just forming. And this, in some of the worst soil we have. A field would not be too much of these easy-growing calories; remind me next year.
And is late July too early to be ordering seeds for the fall garden? I hope not because they are on their way. But if so, remind me next year.
I have beans, peas, okra, tomatoes, and watermelons left. I also have sweet basil, dill, mint, and lemon balm but they will go on forever. My cucumbers are still producing but they look awful and I should pull them up. I have gone back and forth about planting a fall garden. I might plant some carrots and greens. I’m like you, while I am seeing an end in sight for the vegetable garden, I am planning for next year. I did plant an abundance of peas and beans but I do believe next year I will increase the number of plants again. We love peas and beans so I can and freeze a lot of it. This year, I am drying an awful lot of tomatoes because I’ve canned and canned and have decided it’s best to dry as many as I can. I have also been looking into planting a fruit orchard (well, not exactly an orchard but a few trees). I thought I’d add to the plum tree by planting two apple trees, two peach trees, two pear trees, a few grape vines, and one more plum tree. My grandchildren are having a blast helping with the garden and they have also decided that the fruit trees shall be their domain much like the gourds and the pumpkins. LOL. Do you can, freeze, and dry your garden’s bounty?