Harvest Monday: August 30, 2010

Each Monday, Daphne’s Dandelions hosts “Harvest Monday” where everyone can share links to their harvest for the week. It’s fun to see what everyone is harvesting from his or her gardens in different areas. Here is an overview of what was harvested in the garden spot this week.

The tomatoes continue to pour in and I am thankful for each and every one. I’ve been busy making and freezing sauce so we can enjoy the harvest long into the winter months:

The pole beans are producing abundantly. The Japanese beetles are gone, leaving behind lacey leaves on the Kentucky Wonder pole beans, but the Purple Trionfo pole bean leaves are almost untouched. The Purple Trionfo pole beans are also more productive. A proven winner in the garden spot this year:

The Japanese eggplant have begun to fruit and I was able to harvest enough for a meal. Although, the most productive plant is a surprise:

The fruit is supposed to be purple, but one plant is producing all white eggplant. They came from the same seed package and the size and flavor of the fruit is the same as the purple.

The peppers seem to be lagging behind this year. I may have to start the seedlings earlier next year. The plants are now filled with small fruit, but they may run out of summer before they fully develop. I did have enough Bell, Anaheim, Jalapeno, and Cayenne peppers for a batch of salsa this weekend:

The melon patch has mostly died back. Most of the melons have been harvested, only a few Sugar Baby Watermelons remain in the garden. Finally, the first Sugar Baby Watermelon was ready for harvest:

We sliced into it and found the flavor to be very good. It was so worth the wait. There are five more Sugar Baby Watermelons in the garden that I expect to be ready soon:

The mid-summer planting of zucchini has begun producing:

I know the calendar says Fall is coming soon, but it doesn't feel like it yet. We are going to have another spurt of 90-degree weather over the next week. Some of the tomato plants are beginning to show signs of stress and disease. However, the San Marazano’s in the Square Foot Gardens are green, healthy, and full of heavy fruit. They responded to the rain we had last Wednesday by putting on another few inches of growth. I had to tie them up so they wouldn’t crowd the fall lettuce and spinach.

Be sure to visit Daphne’s Dandelions to see what others are harvesting this week.