This is always a sad time . . not as sad as some things in life, but I have to make a decision . . do I continue watering the garden in hopes of getting a few more veggies, or do I walk away and let Mother Nature have her way? We’ve been so long without significant rainfall that even watering morning and evening, it’s a struggle to keep things alive. I worry that I’m overworking our well and I hope before next year’s garden, we’ve been able to hit water and put in a separate well for the garden.
This is what the ground in the garden looks like.
Dry Ground
This is our third summer here and by far, this has been the best as far as heat and bugs go. The grasshoppers are here but they aren’t terrible . . not nearly as bad as they were last year. We’ve had just a few days with temps over 100, compared to the first summer we were here when there were 99 days straight with the temps over 100.
I will keep a few of the Porter tomato plants watered and they will make right up til frost. These are great for salads and some of them are big enough that we will slice them up for sandwiches. They’re not full size tomatoes but when it’s a Porter or a storebought tomato, a Porter is great!
Porter Tomatoes
The garden has produced an amazing amount of garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, strawberries, asparagus and squash this year. I am very pleased with what I’ve been able to put up. Not only have I put up whole tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato powder and used quite a few tomatoes in all the Sweet & Sour Sauce I’ve canned, but I’ve given away so many tomatoes that I think my friends and neighbors are afraid to come over here. Even the UPS guy and the mail lady have been getting more tomatoes than they can possibly use.
I didn’t plant peas of any kind but had quite a few come up volunteer and I got quite a few peas from those volunteer plants, though it was a strange mix and we never got enough to have a meal of just one kind so it was always a “mixed pea/bean” meal consisting of purple hull peas, black beans, cream peas, pinto beans.
I’m still getting kale and okra and the Tabasco peppers are just getting ripe.
Tabasco Peppers
I will try to keep the artichokes going . . though I’m not sure they’re ever going to thrive in our hot and dry Texas summers.
Artichoke
It will be a month or so before we harvest sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes
The Summer, 2014 garden was a success. On one hand, I’m ready to be done with it but on the other hand, I hate to see it go. Next year, I hope to have the whole fenced area (100′ x 100′) ready to plant and I hope to have the new irrigation system installed.
There will be a fall garden – brussels sprouts, cabbage, sweet peas, lettuce, beets, carrots, onions, the garlic for next year will get planted in the fall, but for at least the next month, there will be little to do in the garden and we will both enjoy the respite from the work out there.
Adrienne says
Enjoy the respite, regain your health, visit with the family and you’ll be raring to go again… might even find some time for quilting!
Katie Z says
I let our garden go this month too. It was too hot for me to keep up, so I’m resting until it’s time to plant garlic!
CookieE says
That’s always a hard decision for me as to when to let the garden go. I’m such a die-hard that I usually wind up leaving it until the first frost. But since you probably don’t get frost I think it’s time to let it go, finish healing and enjoy the rest.
I’ve never planted garlic. Am I right in assuming that you all plant it in the fall and it winters over? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I did can the sweet and sour sauce and dried some cantalope for the first time. Next year more will be planted. Thanks for the recipe link and the idea.
A friend gave me a recipe for bread and butter pickles that you make in the microwave. Instant gratification at our house. And I found a recipe to make “cheese” from zucchini. Tastes pretty much like American cheese and is a great substitute for us who have to be dairy free.
Dar in MO says
Where did you find this recipe. This sounds very interesting.
CookieE says
I found the zucchini “cheese” recipe on gutsybynature.com. Scroll down to 31+ dairy alternatives. Click on that and then scroll down to the dairy free cheese. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the recipe. It’s really easy to make, has a short ingredient list. I have wound up making it in double batches. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Sherrill says
DANG I wished I lived close to you! I’d come get all your extra tomatoes that you’d give me! LOL
myrna sossner says
Your tabasco peppers look like the peppers we have grown here in south Florida … we call them bird peppers. Supposedly the birds eat them!!! Ours never lasted long enough to find out!
Diana says
Sigh.. We are pulling the last of our tomatoes and leaving the pepper plants for a bit longer. The trees are starting to turn (yes one knows winter is on its way !LOL) and its almost September ..
Hopefully we will have a mild winter and Spring will come early (ok I am wishing hard for it to happen !LOL).
Mary says
I love the garden posts. I hope you’ll show the Sweet Potatoes as I’ve never seen a photo of them being harvested. Thanks.
Ava says
I’m making that same decision – let it go. We’ve had some Missouri hot days lately and no rain so it seems to be too much (work and water) to keep it going. But we have had a great garden this year. I’m gearing up for the fall garden. My garlic has never produced well, but I may try a couple of rows again this year.