The rain kept coming, unfortunately. We had standing water in a lot of places, but we ran a transfer pump for a day and a half until it’s now merely squishy. The largest tomato patch (about 50 plants) is the worst off, it seems, but the forecast shows hot, sunny days ahead. Tomato plants that were vigorous and perfect two weeks ago look terrible now. They do not tolerate standing water or water-logged soil. We did taste the first ripe cherry tomatoes, and we are hoping they aren’t the only ones we get this year . . . We are still enjoying the last of the black raspberries which have been awesome this year, and the blackberries have set a lot of fruit for the late summer ripening. The corn looks amazing! And elderberries don’t mind wet feet; they are loaded with fragrant flowers right now. We try to remind ourselves that every garden season has its (often unexpected) challenges, and although we may loose one crop, there is always something else thriving.
Outdoor Tending
Mulch paths, filling in the wettest spots
Fertilize the plants stressed by flooding
Prune and trellis cucumbers
Spray BT on brassicas to control cabbage butterfly larvae
Check squash plants for pest eggs
What to do about the flooded tomatoes? We’ve taken out some of the plants that obviously won’t live. For the plants that had a lot of yellowing but were still perky at the top, we have cut off the yellow leaves and top dressed with compost around the stem, hoping new roots can grow to replace the ones that rotted out below. We’re also propagating some new plants from suckers taken from plants in the less-flooded bed.
Harvesting
Kale
Chard
Broccoli
Green onion
Lettuces
Black raspberries
Gooseberries
Beets
Young carrots
Preserving
Kale and chard for the freezer
Lavender in the dehydrator
Elderflowers in vodka
Seed Saving
Cut down last year’s kale plants with seed
Harvest mature cress seed
Seed needs to be dry: We tried to wait for a dry day, but the seed we harvested needs to mature a little more and dry down completely. So, we left most of the plant intact and hung it loosely in a sheet to dry in the garage. It will probably stay there until fall.
Next Up
We may start to harvest root crops early if the soil doesn’t dry out soon. The summer squashes and zucchini will likely start to appear soon. We’ll keep tending seedlings for radicchio and broccoli for the later summer planting. We’ll plant from seed some more broccoli, collards, and peas for fall. And as the raspberry supply dwindles, we’ve got our eyes on the blackberries.