Thursday, August 13, 2015

Around the Garden















Ah, the August garden, it is wild, full of goodness, and such a happy place to be. For some reason, I seem to forget this wild and crazy time in the garden each year, not sure why, it is such a thriving time in the garden, but goodness, it is a jungle out there!

For the most part, taming it is difficult, as time is carefully balanced with different chores in the garden. Between harvesting, putting food by, and preparing beds for the fall/winter garden, the taming part kinda gets moved to the bottom of the list. And so, I watch as the garden explodes, reaching new heights, and towering over me like a giant.

It's all good though, because some days I do reach the bottom of the list, and I tame a small part of the garden, and the next day I tame another part, and slowly I gain control, only to lose it again. The harvests, of course, definitely make up for my lack of control in the garden, and they are rolling in daily, with so much goodness it is hard to contain my excitement. We have Swiss chard, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and beets coming in, and the first carrots were harvested by my little man. Carrots are his most favourite thing to harvest, hands down. Our late season raspberries are slowly ripening, and each morning I gather a small handful for breakfast. The tomatoes are still trickling in, a handful or two a day, but I anticipate the next few weeks to be all about tomatoes.

I did spend time on the weekend seeding our fall/winter beds with carrots, beets, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, bush beans, and spinach, and I seeded a cover crop of buckwheat over two areas. As space opens in the garden, I will continue to seed cover crops, letting them grow, before turning them over into the soil, feeding the soil and all those wonderful, beneficial organisms that live within it.

The days are busy and full in the August garden, and I love it out there. It is the last hurrah, really, before the days get shorter and cooler, and this jungle of goodness becomes a distant memory...until next August.

How are things around your garden?

18 comments:

  1. your garden is beautiful! Can you believe we are edging closer to fall even though it's summer? the way the light is shifting and I saw (finally) some acorns on my driveway. I am ready for some less humid and much cooler days :)

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    1. Thank you Karen. I can't believe it, but truth be told, I am always ready for the shift in seasons. I am not sure why, but a part of me craves the shift, and really looks forward to it.

      And yes, I have noticed the light changing, and the shorter days.

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  2. Your garden looks so lush and wonderful! I have ripped out most of the tomato plants, all of the squash and now hope I'll still get to harvest some peppers. It's kind of pitiful out there... The beets have done fairly well and I was able to make some lacto fermented beets yesterday for the first time. Still trying to decide it I want to try and grow some fall crops or just really amend the soil...

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    1. Thanks Anke! Sorry about your garden this summer, some years are just like that. Lacto fermented beets...I might have to look that up :)

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  3. Mike was on the tractor yesterday and finally made it to my little vegetable spot so gardening will be happening here again starting this weekend!
    Love seeing yours Kim, enjoy all those beautiful vegetables!

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    1. Oh that is wonderful to hear Tracey. I know how much you have been wanting to get back out into the garden. Enjoy your time out there this weekend.

      Thank you, we are!

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  4. It's finally looking a bit better although nothing like yours :(. We might actually have some veggies to harvest by the end of the month, provided the warmer weather that we have had this week sticks around! Yours looks wonderful.

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    1. Well that is good to hear! I hope the warmer weather hangs around for you so you can bring in some food from your garden. Fingers crosssed.

      Thank you!

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  5. Wow, what an amazing garden you have, Kim! I love the way it looks right now, so lush and wild. It seems to be producing beautifully for you. I can feel your excitement and joy through this post, you really love it out there and it seems to love you back!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! Lush and wild describe it perfectly right now, although I did spend the afternoon out there, and tried to tame it a little bit :) We are feeling very grateful these days for the food it has and is producing. It has been a really great year, and I have my fingers crossed the tomatoes will be as good as the rest of the garden has been.

      Aw, that is so sweet of you to say. I do love it out there, it is one of my happy places.

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  6. Your post sounds like what is happening here. We've kept some semblance of control over the growth throughout the season with all the rain. I've been surprise at how little weeds we have. I guess our newspaper/leaf lasagna layers really did the work last year. We will be doing THAT again! All seeds have been sowed for fall as well. A few more really urgent things to harvest before our departure and we will be good until we come back. I've asked my parents to keep the tomatoes picked while we are gone. That along should fill a few counters. :-) Can't wait to see your little piece of earth in person.

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    1. Can't wait for you to get here, my friend. Travel safe, and see you soon. xo

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  7. just look at all that goodness! Our gardens have not been tended to lately.I think your garden is the size of our yard sometimes. Bear wont let me convert the whole yard to garden, but I keep begging.

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    1. It has been a good season around here, and I am feeling very blessed with all this goodness coming into our kitchen. It feels good.

      Hehe, keep begging, you will get him to come around one day :)

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  8. I think your photos this week show your garden looking its most beautiful. I'm sure it's good for you to have it slightly out of control for a while too, character building I reckon!

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    1. Aw, thanks Sally. Haha, yes, character building for sure :)

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