The Harvest Ramps Up

Here we are at the end of August, traditionally when the harvest really starts to kick off. I should have tomatoes like crazy right now…

I’ve got two. (Well actually it’s been four since I took this picture.) My neighbour apparently had a terrible season with Hornworms. They didn’t bother my tomatoes… mine just didn’t do that great. I think it might be time to try something a little different next year. There are a decent amount of green ones still to come – but I won’t have to worry about being overrun with them.

The green beans are another matter. I just gave a giant bag to a friend.

And I finally broke down and blanched, vaccuum sealed and froze up a few bags for Dave and I for later in the winter.

I’ve got three Birdhouse Gourds that look amazing!

I’m not exactly sure when I should be picking these, but I think it’s probably soon.

The yellow squash seems to grow much slower than the zuchinni

But I think I’ll be picking these two soon.

We might finally get to eat a little swiss chard soon.

I am a little disappointed with this – not only did it take forever to grow, it was supposed to be a rainbow pack, with different coloured stems, but all I got was red.

The carrots have been a little more “as advertised”

Though their size has definitely varied.

Over in potato-land I had a bit of a laugh.

I did not plant potatoes in this pot – but a potato plant appeared and I let it do it’s thing. It was obviosuly time to harvest..

That’s it! That’s the whole harvest. Well – I’ll get a meal out of them, at least!

I do still have one surprise potato growing in the old potato bed and on my last post, it was asked it potatoes have flowers. The answer is sometimes. None of the potatoes I have this year flowered – many have been bred not to have flowers, as its believed they take away from the production of potatoes. (When people plant potatoes that do flower, they often cut them off – much like scapes on garlic)

But the flowers seen in the picture that evoked the question were not potato flowers…

They were melon flowers. I have cantelope and honeydew melons also growing in that bed because I was not planning on growing potatoes there (as I said, it was a surprise potato). And while I have LOTS of flowers on the melons – I have no melons!

I do however…

Have a new yellow-fleshed watermelon! The first one got blossom end rot. Hopefully this one will still have enough warm weather to grow and ripen. I have the two mini-mike melons – and I think they are near to being ready to pick!

Over in pepper land…

I have a pile of new peppers coming! And the older ones are starting to change colour. I did pick one green one to bbq up with some zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes for Dave.

The blackberries are still coming daily, but are starting to dwindle

I’ve got five full bags in the freezer already – enough for at least a couple batches of jam.

And…

The Autumn raspberries are starting to ripen! I’m hoping to get enough of the golden ones for at least a small batch of jam. I already did a batch of red from last years raspberries, so the red ones this fall will get eaten as they come.

And Furby would like you to know…

The catnip has been fresh and fabulous all summer long!

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