Everything is looking lush, and as such, another list update!! Only a few large bananas left.
Garden & Availability Update
Raspberries
A Walk Through The Garden
Fall Garden Update
Garden Update July 22, 2018
As the pictures show the first round of garden crops are over. Happy to say we have enough Peas, Broccoli, Yellow and Green beans for the next 12 months in the freezer. With the excess going to friends and neighbours over the last three weeks. Greenhouse Cucumbers and Tomatoes are in full swing, with the garden crop catching up fast.
Just sowed the 2nd crop of Cucumbers for the greenhouse. 2nd crop of garden beans, both Yellow & green came through after only three days. Peas though are struggling with the soil temperature being 27’C. We use the old Pea haulm to shade, cool and help keep moist the newly sown row of peas, but with air temperature this year daily over 30’C not working so well.
Finally overnight our 23 days without any measurable rain has come to an end, .46″ with more as I am writing this. If we get an inch plus then I will get a break from garden watering.
Hard fruit that managed to set, are starting to swell and the rain should help swell the fall raspberry crop. Blueberries are ripening well as are strawberries. Will have to watch the Melons in case they split with the sudden drenching.
We have full season crops of Leek, Carrot and two rows of Potatoes, plus 5 Pole Bean columns in the main garden patch. Which for everyone’s info is 26′ x 26′.
Happy Harvests.
Week 48 Update
With this continued ‘early fall’ weather, a lot of plants are struggling to stay dormant. The hardier plants suffered the most from the sharp frost a few weeks ago, with some varieties showing signs of tip die-back already. Hopefully this warm weather does not last so the garden can rest for a few months.
But not all is lost, this is where your ‘fruiting house plants’ step forward. This week we have started to harvest Guava, Lemons, Grapefruit, Pummelo and Oranges. Most of these plants are only in their third year, so many harvests yet to come.
We have taken this time of slow down in garden work to reap the benefit of summer. Yes, it time to make Jams and Jellies from the fruits that we were not able to eat during the summer. First batch included; Strawberry, Blueberry (fruit) and Grape (Juice for sweetener), Blackberry Jelly and Marmalade (Calamondin).
Not everything needs to be processed, frozen Strawberries, Melon, Raspberries and Blueberries we put straight into home made Yogourt, makes a great breakfast of desert.
Garden update
Summer harvest now well underway; Tomatoes, Cucumber, Lettuce, Peas, Beetroot, Celery, Lemons, Oranges, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Broccoli, Carrot, Radish, Raspberries (Red, Gold, Black), Haskap, Onions.
End of June finishes the heartbreak of June drop. Quite a lot this year, with Plum and Apricot almost totally gone. Apples, Pears and Quince first crop in third year of our orchard. The Niagara grape (wrongly named) as usual, even with preventative spraying, succumbed to mildew. Had enough, so plants will have been removed.
Maybe July will bring old fashioned stable weather, i.e. hot during the week and rainy on weekends. We have only had just over 1.1″ of rain during June. Only .03″ – .05″ per night, non during the day. Yes, just enough to keep the foliage damp, but not enough to water the soil. Yes, we have rain barrels (2600 gals), so we’re able to provide the plants with enough to grow.