Monday, August 17, 2015

Harvest Monday 17 August 2015

It was a slow garden week for me because I was fighting a summertime cold. Temps were not that hot and we did get a few thunderstorms. They made impressive rumbles and flashes but actually produced very little rain, so the garden remains very dry. Thursday I did manage to get some of my brassicas planted and covered in a bed freed up after the onions were harvested. This week we are supposed to have days in the 90s and no rain until maybe Friday, so that means lots of watering. It takes me two full hours to completely water my two plots since I have to pump and carry the water, so a little rain here would be welcome but not going to happen until maybe Friday.

 

squash

 

More zucchini was picked. The plants are looking like they are close to done for the year and the powdery mildew is getting worse despite my spraying.

 

tomatoes&peppers

 

Lots of tomatoes were picked but a lot of the cherries and Juliets were not photographed.  In this photo on the left are three orange Sunkist tomatoes (largest was 14.5 ounces, 411 grams). The pink tomato with the crack is a Pruden’s Purple (13 oz., 370 g.). Three Opalka tomatoes that avoided the BER. The first Chocolate Pear tomatoes are coming in now (they are always the last to develop and ripen, and they cracked badly after the rain). A lot of the Jaune Flamme cracked as did one Sweet Treats cherry. Not a single Esterina cherry cracked, and I picked lots of them. That is why I plant them rather than Sungold, whose taste I slightly prefer.

 

The peppers in the photo are two Jimmy Nardello, two Hungarian Paprika, and a Yummy Belle. The Yummy Belle is a nice little pepper but I only have gotten two peppers from two plants. With that kind of productivity it is not worth the effort and space they take. I may try a different seed source next year. The paprika peppers were dried and added to my stash to try grinding my own paprika.

 

To see what other gardeners around the world did last week, visit Daphne’s Dandelions, our host for Harvest Monday.

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful ripe tomatoes! It has been very hot here too with a lot of thunderstorms. It doesn't rain very often, but when it does, it comes down hard and for several hours. So I've been lucky most of the summer but have been watering myself most of this week.

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    1. So far a lot of huffing and puffing here but very little rain, so we are essentially in a drought.

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  2. Oh, look at those Romanesco zucchini - I see one developing on my late sown plant so I'm cautiously optimistic that I may actually taste one this year.

    And from the looks of it, I will probably not get many Opalkas this year either - there are only a few on the plant without BER. I doubt I will be growing this variety again - it's just too depressing.

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    1. I don't like the taste or texture of the Opalkas, but that is supposedly the norm for paste tomatoes. Maybe I will just grow more Juliets next year.

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  3. Sorry about your cold and your water woes. We got a good drenching on Saturday--odd that it missed you. Carrying water is no fun, but it is good exercise and makes you appreciate the modern world. Nice harvests anyway.

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    1. Thanks. We have been having thunderstorms, not rain fronts, so it only rains under the storm cell. Depends on how it tracks.

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  4. You're hand watering your garden, so not fun. I did that for a couple years too.

    Your zucchini is looking might fine and it looks like you're getting some nice tomatoes. It's definitely a sign of the end of summer when the zucchini and summer squash start getting powdery mildew.

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  5. We really do need some good rain. It has been a while since we got a good one. Luckily for me most things I can reach with a hose, so it isn't too much work. My zucchini this week has picked up, but like yours the PM is starting to take over. It is that time of year.

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    1. I have been spraying Green Cure to keep it in check but I missed a few days and boom.

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  6. Having the same issue with thunder and lightning but not a drop of rain and none in sight for the next 10 days. Hope you get a good soaking on Friday.

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  7. I can't even imagine depending on rain to do the bulk of the watering in my garden! Summer colds are the worst, I hate being laid up whan all I want is to be outside in my garden or enjoying the outdoors in general. I hope you don't have the bug that had me coughing for weeks. Feel better soon!

    Where did you get your Yummy Belles seeds? My Yummy Belles from Renee's were the first to set peppers and are loaded. Still waiting for the first ripe one though.

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  8. Yikes, that's not fun to have summer cold, hope you get well soon.
    I got my Yummy Belles from Renee's as well, they are loaded and producing well.

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    1. Thanks. I spied your Yummy Belles on your post and maybe I will give them a try again next year. In general this was not a good year for peppers here, there is always next year.

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  9. I hope you're feeling better this week. It's miserable enough being sick, but the thought of hauling water and picking in the heat while sick...ugh. I probably wouldn't be that motivated. I'd have to sweet talk someone else in the house to help out.

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  10. Hope you're getting some much needed rest and feeling better! Summer colds are the worst :-( Congrats on a great harvest! I love the idea of growing your own paprika! Curious to see how it turns out for you :-)

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  11. I wound up growing Sun Sugar this year to compare with Sun Gold. The Sun Sugar isn't quite as sweet, but just as prolific and so far no cracking or splitting problems. It might be a tad bigger too, not that it matters to me.

    Your Yummy Belle reminds me of my opinion of most of the mini bells. They've never been that productive for me either. I'll do a rain dance in your direction and hope you get a break from the hand watering!

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