August 24, 2015
A sad day: a volunteer reported that several spaghetti squashes are rotten. Solution: reduce watering for hugel mound and put remaining squashes up on boards to keep them out of the damp earth.
August 25, 2015
Food Bank harvest:
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- 3 large tomatoes
- 5 bags mixed greens
- 2 bags sage
- 1 bag kale
August 26, 2015
Three attendees at Garden Together Night.
Some of the mystery potted seedlings are obviously lettuces at this stage.
The tomatoes that got new cages last week look great. SO MUCH fruit.
Pepper fruits have more than tripled in size. Sadly, some critter already plucked, nibbled,and abandoned one.
Nasturtiums are gorgeous and full.
First batch of sugar snap peas have a few pods now. Deliciously sweet.
Second batch of sugar snap peas are starting to bloom.
The potted peas we planted last week are sprouting.
Of the kale mix we planted, the seeds that sprouted are almost all Red Russian Kale.
Cosmos clump is lush. Will probably bloom before frost in spite of late start.
Self-seeded tomatoes in herb bed don't all get bright red; some are sweet and splitting open when still an uneven orange.
Second batch of beans blooming enthusiastically in spite of (we think) curcurbit leaf crumple virus.
Tasks Accomplished:
- Train wayward pea vines up twine
- Gently hoe the hundreds of mulberry seedlings among the kale to break their roots (a constant chore now)
- Cut off torn burlap on eastern raised bed
- Cut off squash leaves that are beyond hope of recovery
- Put boards under squashes to avoid rotting
August 30, 2015
Finally some ripe tomatoes in the raised beds.
Some critter has been nibbling the zucchinis. A few bites out of each. So inconsiderate.
One basil plant totally chewed up by insects, but the rest (scattered across the garden) are fine. Chalk one up for permaculture's rules against mass plantings.
The fruit trees' tags were lost before planting, but we suspected our survivors were two apples and a pear. Today a visiting forester seconded that opinion. Thanks, Dad.
Apparently coreopsis is susceptible to powdery mildew. Next time we will keep it away from the squashes.
The pea vines are incredibly sturdy, and incredibly tall. Trellis? Who needs a trellis?
