Helper --Hot weather = Harvest

August has been a great garden month with HOT temperatures every day and little rain. The garden is finally benefiting and flourishing. Check out a few harvesting efforts with my special little helper, grandson Cotton. Also note the mystery squash plant that suddenly grew fast after I added the compost to the asparagus bed from the bin near the back door that gets the winter's kitchen scraps. The morning glory that self seeded from last year now fully covers the garden trellis, the dahlias are in full bloom and some herbs have now been harvested and are drying in the garage thanks to son, Julian. Lastly, note the new view of the front door and new porch with the final view from the inside looking out. The evergreen tree next to the door has now been removed to open the view.

The first tomatoes have arrived, the zucchini is a steady item and the green and yellow beans seem endless. Three bean salad and simple steamed beans coated in lemon juice and olive oil are regularly served now. The first carrots and beets have made it to the dining table. Many, many green peppers, hot peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant and broccoli are forming nicely. The jury is still out on the quality of the tomato and cucumber harvest, but I am now more hopeful.

The Garden's Bounty

The August weather continues to be a "normal" summer in Maine. Unfortunately much irreversible damage was done in July, the coldest on record and the 2nd wettest. My fingers remain crossed that a hot August and nice September can mitigate the crop failures as much as possible. The forecast for the next five days calls for near 90 degrees and lots of sun and no rain...maybe some hope!

The basket full 0f green and yellow beans sitting on the new front porch is nearly8 lbs. worth. They were just picked and many more will follow from the prolific bush beans and pole bean vines. Beans are being eaten daily now and have been turned into a fresh three bean salad and many frozen packages.

Below are some images of the "White Hull Pink Tip" heirloom pole bean I planted for the first time thanks to the mailing of these special seeds from my cousin Betsey from Knoxville Tennessee. I plan to enjoy eating most of them and to save some seeds for next year.

The blueberries are getting picked every three days and several quarts have already been turned into jam, scones, muffins, a blueberry Buckle coffee cake and a frozen supply. That harvest should continue for a couple of weeks. The blackberries are just beginning to ripen and look equally promising. My memory of the poor strawberry harvest is fading now.

There is hope for the 2009 garden after all!

If you have been a regular reader of my blog you have had to wait THREE weeks for a new post. My apologies for that! I can report that the summer weather finally arrived in Maine and I am a happy gardener again. Also, after a visit to Richmond VA to help my uncle, Ralph celebrate his 90th birthday, I returned to Saco with my son, Julian and we tackled a huge project. We finally tore up the hated railroad ties and sinking bricks at the front door entrance here and built a new front porch. It was a major undertaking and took us three days. The first pictures below are the before and after images of it.

Thanks to some summer-like weather the garden has really taken off and is growing well and also producing results. The 100 garlic plants have now been harvested. The first batches of green and yellow beans are harvested. One plus from all the rain and cool weather has been my best lettuce crop ever for daily salads. The blueberries are now ripening on a daily basis and I am about to make my first batch of jam. The tomato plants are thriving and many small green ones are emerging. The first zucchini and yellow summer squash are nearing harvest size. The flowers are bursting forth everywhere as the pictures below indicate. I can now harvest some carrots, chard, beets, and more turnips as well these days. I am starting to feel confident that the garden will be okay after all in 2009. It is about a full 3-4 weeks behind the normal schedule so I am hoping for a warm August and September and a late frost to let the harvest be very successful.

Skunks are digging small holes in my yard on a nightly basis to find grubs to eat. I don't mind because the Japanese beetles are at a minimum this year thanks to the skunks! My priority is the veggies and also the flowers so I can tolerated the lawn abuse.

I have seen the first cucumbers forming as well but the plants are small and not running very far along the ground yet but I am hopeful about the "pickle harvest" now as well.

During this past three weeks I also hosted a garden walk vist from members of the Saco Bay Garden Club. I think about thirty showed up during the hour that was for this stop on a three house tour. I receive many accolades and good advice and gardening tips. I do think many people touring thought I must be crazy to have such big gardens for a team of one!

So that is my July story... a good one. No travel in August for me so a lot of time to devote to garden work and harvesting and canning the results.