August garden blahs
Posted on 12 August 2009
August is the least inspiring garden month, at least for me in Sacramento.
Everything looks a little tired and dusty since it hasn’t rained in months. The daddy long leg spider webs and dropping blossoms from my huge crepe myrtle tree are working together to make everything messier, and I can’t justify wasting water to blow them away since they’ll only be back in a day or two.
The vegetables have been blasted with several 100+ degree days, and show the effects. I’m even beginning to have blasphemous thoughts about being tired of tomatoes and green beans, something that seemed impossible only a few weeks ago.
One end of the green bean wall was savaged by aphids while we were away for a week, and the catsitter apparently isn’t that wild about beans, because I came home to lots and lots of tough stringy beans that stayed on the vine too long. I almost filled a five-gallon bucket with the tough ones, but now the vines are producing nice tender beans again. I wonder if they would have been good as shelled beans if I had left them to ripen all the way.
It’s hard to believe, but the tomato hornworm I pictured in my last post seems to have been my ONLY one this year! Usually I find at least a dozen. The tomatoes quit setting during the hot spells, but they will probably revive and start producing lots of fruit next month, just when I’m beginning to think about pulling them up and planting cabbages or something. My huge orange strawberry tomato has redeemed itself. Later, more fully ripe fruits turned out to have lots more flavor. One of them is enough for pasta for the two of us.
I’ve already ordered a big batch of seeds for lettuces, peas and radishes for fall planting, including rat-tailed radishes. I’d never heard of them until we were served them as an amuse bouche along with fava beans at an Oregon restaurant.
5 responses to August garden blahs
We don’t have much in the way of non-floral plants in our garden – just tomatoes that are full of green balls but nothing approaching ripeness and lots of herbs. I think that this is the worst time of the year for our garden – many of the flowers are done. I’ve cut back the big perennials that have finished and now have empty spaces.
Everything remains lush and green although the colour is lacking – with the rain we’ve had this year I’ve only had to water a few times.
I need to get better at the seasonal transition (and being ruthless when cutting back the things that are expanding and taking over the garden – lovely though they may be).
I’m so glad you remember me!
Yes, Ken and I worked together at a Silicon Valley startup…. he’s a great guy.
Just thinking about tomatoes must have put some good vibes out there… the sun’s shining this afternoon!
Ellen!!
For some reason, I was just thinking of you the other day. Did you know Ken when he was still in the Bay Area? I met him through his blog, then visited him when we were staying close to where he lives now.
A long, long time ago, I lived in Pacific Grove and Monterey and tried to grow tomatoes, so I know how you feel.
Ah, tomatoes and beans… lovely! I live on the foggy coast near Half Moon Bay and, although I plant tomatoes as a matter of hope and faith each year, I sometimes see none. Chris, you and I worked together at HP in Roseville ‘way back when, in tech pubs. We have a mutual friend in Ken Broadhurst, whose blog we both follow… that’s where I found you! Ah, the small e-world…
The radishes sound interesting. I’m looking forward to hearing more. We planted peas, started lettuce and harvested some radishes already. I lost a lot of beans to our heat also. I might do a bit of tomato canning this weekend since all our determinate toms are ripening.