Some crops, and a pest

Ever wonder what happens if you don't pick cucumbers before they ripen? Here's the picture:


They are causalities of the vacation. Unfortunately, cucumber production may be shutting down. It looks like the plants are suffering from cucumber wilt, although they held on longer than in the past. The zucchini, on the other hand, are going great. So I guess I will have to think of another strategy for the cucumbers next year.

Meanwhile, my surprise crop hsa succeeded. Here's a picture:


These are spoon tomatoes. As you can see, they are tiny versions of the usual type. And I am getting lots (from two plants), although that doesn't translate into volume. I'm thinking you could put them into soup instead of soup nuts.

But I saw something I didn't want to see in the garden. A nasty, annoying, ugly, evil thing. Yes, a rabbit got into the garden. I chased it away---it got in through a hole in the fencing that I should be able to fix. And, as it happens, there is nothing a rabbit would like in the garden right now--I think.

If there is no gardener, is there a garden?

Vacations unfortunately interrupt the sense of the garden gradually developing over the course of the summer. I'm not just referring to the practical problems of watering the plants, weeding, and picking ripe vegetables. It's more a question of losing some of the sense of gradual change.

We went away for a week and a half. Fortunately, I was able to deputize somebody for part of the time we were away. When we left, the tomatoes were just beginning to ripen. We came back to a couple dozen ripe tomatoes, with more on the way. Not to mention the cherry tomatoes. There were a couple of perfect zucchini, and some cucumbers had been picked while I was gone. Some of the sunflower plants are now considerably taller than I am, and are starting to flower. And the raspberries look like they are going to be ripe soon.

So now it is tomato season, and it looks like (so far) my goal of having lots of tomatoes is being met. I even gave some away to the neighbors.

From a quick look at the garden tonight, I will have some work to do. The onions are now ready to be dug up and there are tons of weeds, of course. Some of the tomato cages have fallen over from the weight of the fruit on the plants. I never know how to manage this. It happens every year, and, short of getting (or making) super-heavy tomato cages, I suppose I will have to put up with it. The tomatoes keep coming even when the cage is on its side, so I suppose it is mainly a cosmetic problem.

And the birds seem to be leaving the tomatoes alone. Maybe they found somebody else to bother.

Blight?!?

Guess what? I just discovered that there is a reason the lower leaves of my tomato plants turn brown every year. It's called early blight. Perhaps it is a reason why I don't get as many tomatoes as I expect.

Of course, reading about these things is like falling down a rabbit hole. You go from one thing to another. Control by fungicide! No, cut off offending leaves! Watch how you water! Honestly, it makes one wonder how any tomato plants actually manage to grow enough to produce tomatoes.

So add another problem. The birds are still pecking at some of the tomatoes, so I'm picking them before they turn completely red. Should be OK, but I always love picking right before eating---it seems like that should be one of the rewards of gardening.

I'm now getting one or two cucumbers a day. This morning I went out and found two that I didn't expect. The fruit does have a habit of finding ways to hide from me until they get too big. Fortunately, that wasn't the case this morning.

Are you doing better at tomatoes than me? Try this pasta sauce: cut up a tomato and some mozzarella into pieces, and chop up a few basil leaves (doesn't have to be very fine). Add some olive oil, mix and let sit for an hour (to blend the flavors). Then toss with your favorite pasta. This has long been very popular around our house. I think it tastes even better when you use tomatoes and basil you've grown yourself. In fact, it would taste best with home-grown olives and mozzarella. Unfortunately olives don't grow in Rockville, and I'm not yet ready to make my own cheese.

(How much tomato, cheese, olive oil, basil? As much as you like! Just about any reasonable proportions will work.)

Harvest Starting

The garden harvest always seems to start slowly. Maybe that's because I'm impatient (well, it must be). Still, things do seem to be shaping up.

I picked the first large zucchini of the season. For some reason, I've been getting little zucchini that don't grow, so I harvest them when they are about 2" long. They are quite edible, but I was getting worried. he plants look very healthy.

Here's a zucchini plant. The plant looks great, even if the fruit is small:

I'm also starting to get cucumbers. These are small, and I'm not sure how large this variety is supposed to grow. They also seem to grow a bit more slowly than I remember from the past, but that may be one of the compromises necessary to avoid cucumber wilt. (I think it's still a bit too early to declare victory, even if I see no signs of any problems yet.)

Some tomatoes are starting to turn red as well. There are lots of green tomatoes on the vines.

Here's a view of one side of the garden.

Those are the paste tomatoes on the right, cucumbers in the middle, and sunflowers on the left. You can see an ABD in the back--not that it did much good this year. I've had to give up the rest of the blueberries. Some raspberries are coming in, however, and the birds don't seem to care for them. Maybe I should pull out the blueberries and let the raspberries take over.