August Transitions

August is a time of transition.  Much of the summer garden has already been mowed down to be tilled in.  Almost all of the tomatoes and all the squash and cucumbers are finished.  The high tunnel that was planted with heirloom tomatoes is cleared out to prepare for fall crops like fennel and Brussels sprouts.  The area of the field where crops are growing now is the smallest its been since March.  We still have butternut squash, okra, long beans, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and sweet potatoes in the field.  But even as the so-called summer garden is shrinking, the fall garden is growing.

Planting for fall garden is underway!  We are grateful for this hot, sunny weather because we still need the soil to dry out so we can prepare more beds for planting.  So far we have transplanted some broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, and seeded carrots, beets, kale and lettuce.  The green beans are coming up under a protective layer of row cover to keep out the crows.  I see them loitering out in the field, just hoping I’ve planted some tasty treats for them.  But I remember the fiasco with the squash and melons earlier this summer.  Not this time, crows!  I know they’d pull up all those tender little bean sprouts if they had the chance.

The fall tomatoes are looking great.  Possibly the best a late planting of tomatoes has ever looked.  It’s hard for me to say it.  While I am thrilled that they are doing well, I am hesitant to talk about it.  Between now and mid-September so much could go wrong!  I can’t decide if I am superstitious – afraid of jinxing myself – or just pessimistic.  Maybe I am a superstitious pessimist.  As they say, don’t count your chickens before they hatch!  If I’d come up with it first, the saying would probably be, “don’t count your chickens until they have hatched, grown for five months and started laying eggs”.

In the shares this week:

• Spaghetti Squash
• Assorted Sweet Peppers
• Long Beans
• Red Pontiac Potatoes
• Red Onions
• Okra