end of august garden

This morning I walked a counter-clock wise loop around our back yard, camera in hand to capture the lushness of the August garden. I expected a dry, crispy, ugly garden by this time, but no! Cooler temperatures and a rainy day here and there have provided a beauty place for us. This really is a gift for August.

We had thunderstorms during the night so if the plants look wet and bedraggled, they are; but I don't mind.

If the plants look jungle-y, they are. That is a sign of August that can't be wished away. I like the jungle, though. You never know what vegetable or insect you are going to discover hidden away in the foliage.

The empty beds are where the potatoes were, and one is now the catch-all for vines that have been trimmed.

My favorite place in the garden right now is this flower bed. After mowing or doing yard work it's so nice to sit in that hammock and look at all the pretty colors. The pink/purple cosmos are new this year. They were actually the last of the flowers to bloom, and I thought I'd only have orange and white to gaze at. These cosmos have added a certain softness to the bright orange cosmos and really complement the white zinnias and cosmos well. They have been nice to cut and bring inside to enjoy too.

These clematis vines were actually transplanted just a month ago. Due to disease I had to cut back all the clematis vines in June after their Spring bloom. I was very disappointed! However, after moving them to a location where they will get more air flow (hopefully to prevent disease), they decided to grow and even bloom again for us. Thankful for the beauty!

August was a heavy hitter for vegetables too. The vegetable pound totals are below. 

• 137 lbs ~ Roma Tomatoes
• 95 lbs ~ Potatoes
• 47 lbs ~ Blackberries
• 36 lbs ~ Beefsteak Tomatoes
• 27 lbs ~ Carrots
• 10 lbs ~ Garlic
• 9 lbs ~ Onions
• 6 lbs ~ Squash
• 3 lbs ~ Golden Beets
• 2 lb ~ Green Beans
• 1 lb ~ Cucumbers
• 1 lb ~ Sweet Peppers
• 1 lb ~ Tomatillo Tomatoes
• 1 lb ~ Lima Beans

We harvested almost 140 pounds in this month alone. Vegetable harvests thru July were 238 pounds while thru August was 376 pounds! We're still harvesting Romas, Beefsteak, Squash, Green Beans, Lima Beans and hopefully some Red Beans. It'd be nice to top the 400 pound mark. Even so, we're so pleased with these amounts and enjoying the fresh vegetables each day with our meals.

The majority of the "Summer" work in the garden is complete (harvesting, upkeep, etc.) which was my plan since we begin our schooling schedule next Monday and I work best with one thing on my mind at a time. The harvest now is minimal and the clean-up of the garden won't happen until October or November. It's time to concentrate on some book work with the children. Gardening and guiding my children as they learn ~ two of my favorite things ~ so it's not a bad trade off.