What a summer!

The month of July has flown by.  We have been battling fungus. But, what can you expect when we have such ideal fungal conditions -- rain late in the afternoon, clouds all day and warm temperatures. Fungus thrives under these conditions and unchecked, can move quickly through the garden.

 The tomato blight showed up earlier than usual, but with careful pruning, and weekly spraying of serenade, (an organic spray equivalent to a probiotic for plants) it has slowed down quite a lot. We should have no problem holding onto the plants till fall, which is good because they are loaded with fruit and I would like to keep them long enough to harvest all of it. Blight is a yearly battle in Virginia. It splashes up onto the plants from the soil below.  Then, if you leave the infected leaves on the plant it will splash its way up every time it rains, slowly killing the plant as it progresses. There is no “cure” for blight, once it has appeared for the season; all you can do is try to slow it down. Neem oil and a copper fungicide spray can be used as a preventative measure in the war on blight, though once the plants start flowering it is best to stop, because the sprays may interfere with our friendly pollinators.  If you have had blight in your garden over the summer it is important that you do not till or mulch that space before the winter. Remove all plant material and burn it. (do not add it to your compost pile) The freezing temperatures can kill the sclerosia the  blight leaves behind but only if it is exposed.   Do not plant tomatoes or related plants in the same space for a minimum of 2 years.

           

Okra blossom

    Luckily we seem to have broken out of this pattern, and we did so with a bang.  The temperature soared up into the high 90s and stayed there for a little over a week.  The heat did cause some blossom drop in the eggplant, but I was happy to trade a few flowers for the drying power of the sun. I think it helped us out quite a bit, and for the most part the fungal issues (besides the blight which slowly lumbers onward and upward) seem to have cleared up. After the heat wave, we have been experiencing a fall preview.  Cool evenings and daytime temperatures in the low 80s make me feel as if it is summer in Vermont instead of summer in Virginia. I am not complaining, it has been lovely weather to work in, and the plants seem to be happy with it so far.

fingerling potatoes

               We have gotten a lot of work done in the last month.  All of the spring plantings have been harvested, and the beds have been re-composted and turned over for fall.  We have kept up with the weeds, a monumental and daily task. We harvested all of the onions, shallots and garlic.  We put them up on racks in the greenhouse and they seem to be drying quite well despite the humidity which is slowing their progress.

 Most of the cippolini onions have already made their way to the kitchen and we may finish them before they have a chance to finish drying. The garlic crop was impressive this year with huge, healthy bulbs, and we have already pickled quite a few jars. I just hope they all dry before it is time for the shelling beans to come in. The brussel sprouts and the first two planting of cauliflower are in the ground, as well as the first planting of turnips. Fall is right around the corner.

               This week we are planting the last of the cauliflower and romanesco for the fall, and putting in the second planting of rutabaga and turnips.  We have seeded a few more fall veggies in the greenhouse; scallions, kale, chard, fennel, pac choi, watermelon radish, and fall lettuces. Other than that weeding and bug wars seem to be the predominant tasks. On the harvest list we have beets, carrots, onions, shallots, potatoes, french beans, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, okra, cardoons, melons, cucumbers, raspberries, lots of edible flowers and herbs.

Blue and Amerigo picking beans

               Here’s hoping it warms up some, and we finish out the summer with some more seasonable weather. Happy gardening.