the august garden ~ 2021.
Beets - 7 lbs.
Blackberries - 12 lbs.
Carrots - 12 lbs.
Cucumbers - 2 lbs.
Eggplant - 1 lb.
Garlic - 4 lbs.
Green Beans - 23 lbs.
Greens - Red Russian Kale, Spinach, Endive, Cabbage - 22 lbs.
Potatoes - 121 lbs. (Rose Gold: 14, Fingerling: 9, Canela Russet: 31, Purple Viking: 67)
Snow Peas - 15 lbs.
Squash - 31 lbs.
Strawberries - 10 lbs.
Stuttgarter Onions - 29 lbs.
Tomatoes - 127 (Cherry: 18, Roma: 81, Sandwich: 28)
Dehydrated - Sage, Thyme, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Basil, Chamomile, Rosemary, Marjoram
Preserved - Herb Butter, Blackberry Jelly, Basil Pesto, Roasted Tomato Salsa
~ ~ ~
Lovely, lovely August. Well, I can't say that every year. Usually at this time the heat and lack of rain takes a toll on the once thriving garden, and the predominant color becomes brown instead of green. However, we've had enough rain every now and then and diligent watering from the rain barrels to encourage the plants to keep living! It is nice to enjoy the garden even in a month with such intense heat.
So far we have had record harvests of onions, snow peas, potatoes and beets with squash and green beans getting close to record numbes.
August is also the month where we traditionally harvest and process the bulk of the produce from our garden, and this year was no exception. At the end of July we had harvested 163 pounds, and which is an amazing amount, but this month added 253 more pounds, so the totals have topped 400 at 416 pounds. I am very thankful for so many vegetables. We are of course enjoying them fresh and preserving so many in the freezer. I'm having fun making herb butter, blackberry jelly, pesto and a new roasted tomato salsa recipe for the first time. Jesse has perfected making french fries with our Canela Russet potatoes and I'm looking forward roasted our first ever butternut squash.
Second plantings of greens, beans and carrots are coming along even in this heat. If they grow well it will be nice to have those fresh vegetables in the fall in lieu of dipping into the freezer before winter. Hopefully, more eggplant will produce, but unfortunately, they have been slower to set and ripen than last year. We are still gathering kale, chinese cabbage and swiss chard and the last of the tomatoes are trickling in.
I'm already preparing for next year's garden. I've tentitively sketched where to place the vegetables. I've sourced some aged horse manure for the soil. We'll also amend the soil with compost and leaves.
We've significantly added growing space over the past year, but my total number of pounds hasn't increased and that has to do with my skill as a planter. So next year I want to be that much more attentive to when and what I plant, how much I plant, succession planting and how to maximize the space we have.
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