Health & Fitness
Community Garden Update
Harvests of "cool weather" crops are long over; "heat loving" summer bounty is pouring in!
Our "Ring of Fire" high pressure dome of heat was finally broken last weekend (refer to previous blog). While my rain gauge only measured 1/2 inch of precipitation, it sure "perked up" my summer vegetables. Thai Dragon Beans, cucumber seedlings, and eggplant starts have all shown a "growth spurt", probably due to the nitrogen from the lightning storm which fell to earth with the rain.
I have had multiple harvests of my Thai Dragon Bean. These colorful fellas are long, green, and speckled with purple. When they are cooked, they assume a yellow, wax bean color. I have also had multiple harvests of mammoth basil, zucchini, and a few runty tomatoes. My guess is that the garden plot had tomatoes and peppers the first two years, depleting the soil of trace nutrients---old gardeners always advise NOT planting tomatoes in the same location for two years in a row for this reason.
My "garden envy" for some of the other giant plants in the community garden include Swiss Chard, cucumbers, yellow squash, and heirloom tomatoes. Sometimes I think that I pay too much attention to my plants and "molly coddle" them by picking off bean beetles and too frequent watering. A couple of the plots I am "green with envy" about never seem to have a human tending them.
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In a couple of the plots, ants have become a major nuisance. So far we have tried diatemaceous earth and marigold flowers as deterrents. Someone reminded me recently that a mixture of sugar & boric acid poured near the ant "nests" is a surefire cure. Maybe we will try that next if the other organic pest management techniques do not work.
Tuesday, July 10, is the last scheduled "eating meeting" this season for the Richmond Heights Garden Club. I plan to bring a caprese salad with my fresh basil, Mozzarella cheese, Arkansas tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil. Thank goodness for the cooler, more "normal" weather. Keep harvesting your veggies and about a month from now, it will be time to plant "cool weather" crops again for Fall harvest. I will post a blogthen titled, "Fall Vegetable Gardening".