The Bounty of August

As Maddy keeps saying, the plants are so happy today with some rain! Even without this bit of rain the HES garden looks beautiful and is very bountiful. Thanks to all who have taken such good care this summer so when the students return, there will be plenty to see, smell and taste.
What's growing now: cucumbers. You really have to search for these. there are long asian dark greens, light green, which is an armenian variety and you may also find some lemon cukes which look like a lemon and taste like a cucumber. The dark green are good at any size. The lemons should be harvested on the smaller size with a very white or light yellow skin. Beans are also plentiful. You will find both yellow and green beans. They will always be more tender when picked on the smaller side. The seeds of these beans were saved from last years harvest. Cherry tomatoes, slicing and paste tomatoes and basil are still plentiful along with swiss chard and kale. There are some yellow slicing tomatoes and some green zebra tomatoes mixed in with the paste tomatoes so please pick those as well. Herbs such as parsley, oregano and sorrel are also abundant....and the cutest of all is the fairy tale eggplants which are white with purple stripes. They should be harvested while they are still small, about 3-4" long.
Enjoy! and see you all soon....

Tomatoes anyone?

Yes, it's finally that time of year when the sungold cherry tomatoes are dripping from the vines and the larger slicers and paste tomatoes are ripening up. My favorite summer treat is a tomato sandwich with mayonaise. Pure and simple....Mmmmm. The basil continues to come on strong so if you are in the garden, please take a hardy pinch to keep the flowers at bay and encourage new growth. The cucumbers and melons are taking off thanks to the love and care they received as babes. The bush beens in bed #5 are flowering which means beans are close behind. Keep an eye out in the next two weeks as they will come on strong and they grow inches in a day! They are best small and tender, about 3-4" long.
The newest edition to the garden is the beginnings of a trellis which needs to get completed soon if we want beans for the Fall. It's a simple cedar post construction that will be a permanent fixture.
Watering....I noticed our hoses are pretty leaky. The main reason for this is a small rubber gasket/washer which sits inside the female end of the hose can easily be dislodged and pop out. I put some spares on the red bracket inside the garden that holds the hose. The gasket/washers are green. Be sure the spigot is turned all the way on to get full pressure and watch for kinks in the hose. I splurged on a kink-free hose but so far have not been impressed.
Thanks again to all who have and will be looking after the garden. It continues to be a beautiful haven for pollinators and other insects. A neighboring family reported they were visiting the garden a few weeks ago and spotted a hummingbird! So keep your eyes peeled.