the broccoli, which grew well, has developed little button heads. I suspect the heat caused this; cut the main shoots off and hoping the side shoots are edible.I also found a cabbage worm and a snail in the area; if one is committed to not using poison, you find other ways to discourage bugs.so; we will rapidly change out the polyculture ( beans look great) and perhaps not even try cole crops again there. Increasing lime is also possible. Turnips are doing well which bodes well for fall kale, turnips and rutabagas).
the asiatic lilies are fabulous; daylilies are in bloom; every day it's a new set of surprises.We are having gentle rains every few days, and a few downpours, but it is so much better than the last 3 years, I cannot complain.of course more rain makes more weeds but the ground is soft and they easily pull by hand.
the tomatoes are to the top of the cages; I've had to top them. many many fruits setting and, they can still grow more side branches. unsupported branches over the top tend to break.I also clean off leaves and branches for about a foot on the bottom; supposed to stop blights and such, though we've never had them, i feel learning everything to improve tomatoes is worth it!( get every sucker-every new branch in a crotch between leaf and stem, at least until fruit set. also remove any leaf that seem to be touching a growing tomato or otherwise blocking light)We planted a french red, coustralee, japanese black trifele ( oooh they are good!) yellow manyel and true sun drying tomatoes-principe borghese-the branches of little tomatoes are so cute. 2 of the tomatoes live with melons and nasturtiums and everyone seems happy.the others, pots,partially covered by the hosta leaves, are doing great!
the cucumbers, once again, are not germinating as well as I would like. I am rather confused by this-not all the same variety and I bought fresh seed ( ps if you haven;t planted them yet-try pearl, a white cuke. just try them. fabulous)
next job-harvest garlic, later shallots. re-compost and amend; add buckwheat seed for a quick cover crop. then kale, etc can go in. I may go ahead and broadfork that bed rather than wait as we plan to have quite a lot of fall crops growing.
I am saving peas for a fall crop ( let the peapod get a bit dry with full peas inside-I pull them and dry them for a few more days in the kitchen before packing them in paper bags and bottom drawer of fridge) I also am finding left over field peas;saving them too. the parsley from last year should flower soon. (about half our seed is self saved now)
busy-pretty, such a nice time of year...new potatoes should be ready in a week or two (we like the small, easily roasted or steamed kind; they taste so good) and the replanted zucchini seems to be taking off.the pumkins are-doing their pumpkin thing. vines taking off everywhere. and that is a fun thing!
Carol and I planted her corn in the traditional manner-mounds with 3 corn seeds, surrounded by beans and pumpkins in between the mounds. it already is looking good!
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