I don’t know about you, but I will be exceedingly glad to leave the 90’s and the 80+ degree days and will fall luxuriously into the arms of the cooler days and nights of autumn. So far here in Pennsylvania,I haven’t seen much sign of turning leaves but they do look a tad dull and yellowed. Also a sure fall sign is that the wild white asters are now in bloom. It is actually pleasant to do laundry in my old roller washer and hang it on the line!
On my desktop I have a folder of pictures marked August 29th which was the day the last series of photos were uploaded. So between 8/6 and 8/29 there are a bunch of photos I can use for the blog. August 29th marks the day my back gave out, so not so much photography since then. (But I am seeing improvement!)
Anyone who read the few postings over the summer read my whining about the drought here: .25 inches in July, .25 inches of rain in August. We’re about to the last week or so of September and we’re still below normal. One day did rain enough to cause water to run into the pool pit though. Despite this, due to the invention of hose attached to spigot, we did have a bountiful garden this year as the pictures below will attest. What did not happen is fall planting due to drought, heat,nasty bug eaters of brassicas and injury. So, I will not be seeing any lovely beds of Asian veggies this October. Darn.
I am still freezing, canning and fermenting, although at a slower pace. My largest tomato this year was 3.5 lbs. The apples and pears are still ripening and we are just now picking grapes for juice. The first of the winter squash are ready for harvest. And the voles have “apple cored” all my beets. The Canadian thistle is having a field day in all the places where squash vines and tomatoes prevented mowing (Niels says he will “take care of it.”
Anyway, here is a pictorial account of August from me as one of our produce oriented gardeners. This summer will be known as the Year of the Tomato for me. It started off rather innocently early August and rapidly got crazy. Keep in mind that the last pictures represent ONE harvest moment. It was repeated several times. (I still have some to process on my kitchen table (about a pots worth) as I write this. 😉
