August 18th

The August garden.  Some things, like lettuce and peas, have peaked and now gone by the wayside.  While others, like tomatoes, melons and zucchini are just coming into their peak time.  In general things are lush to the point of being a bit overgrown.  The biggest task is just trying to keep everything (weeds included) from getting too out of control.

"Ruby Moon" (or "Lab-Lab")  These are a bean in the hyacinth family.  Although the pods are very much edible I like them mostly for their vigorous climbing and bright purple pods and flowers.  These are probably the most distinctive plants in the garden.

This tangle is a formerly tidy lettuce area.  Both seed varieties ("Red Star", and "Red Grand Rapid Galactic") were productive and tasty.  Unfortunately the high heat did them in and they are both very much bolted.  There were also radishes interplanted with the lettuce (D'Avignon)  which grew well and looked good, but did not taste great.  It may be that we are just not used to the taste of radishes, but I think that the soil may have just been to poor for a root crop like a radish.

 

"Magenta Sunset"  This was a second planting of swiss chard after the initial early one.  (May-June maybe)  I haven't given it much attention but it still thriving despite all the hot weather we've had.  I thought chard was more cool weather- but this variety seems not to mind the heat.

"Sarah's Choice"  A hybrid cantaloupe (or muskmelon) looks to be coming along nicely.

"Sugar Baby" A smallish supposedly sweet traditional watermelon.  This is the biggest one so far so we've a way to go before tasting any.

"Costata Romanesco"  This Zucchini is by far the most vigorous plant in the garden.  We have enjoyed lots of very, very tasty zucchini from these plants, but next year I could plant half as many and be fine. (3-4 plants would be plenty)

"Sungold"  A hybrid variety from 'Johnnys Select'.  I'll probably grow this tomato every year that I have a garden.  It'd be fun to try other cherry varieties, but this one is so good, and so prolific it'd be hard to beat.

"Striped German".  An heirloom tomato grown from seed that I got from 'Johnnys Select.'  Looks pretty huge, but no ripe ones yet- so no idea on taste.

Another heirloom: "Brandywine"  This was the only plant I bought as a seedling from the Farmer's Market.  The other ones caught up to it quickly in terms of size, but this looks like it'll have the first ripe fruit.

Flowers from the "Lab-Lab" vines.

A selection of flowers from the herb/cutting flower garden.