ex gardens

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. It’s another week, and the heat wave still dominates the news around here. Daytime temperatures peak out in the 90-95°F range, with the heat index (aka “feels like” temp) up over 100°F. That has resulted in daily heat advisories, and dangerous conditions for those working outdoors. We have done our outside chores early in the morning, and do our best to stay inside during the heat of the day. We’re not expected to get a break until later this coming week, so it will continue to bake until then. weather station console Harvests continue however, and I am out early in the morning to bring them in before it gets too miserable out there. We are getting a good supply of tomatoes for fresh eating, but I doubt there will be enough for processing into sauces this year. Still, nothing beats a home grown tomato and we have been enjoying these for sure! one morning harvest Black Angel is a ne...

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. The weather has been hot and miserable here, and then it started raining pretty much every day. We got just under six inches alone last week, which is more than we would normally get in the whole month of July. I have accepted the fact it’s going to be a horrible year for gardening here, and I will try and be thankful for whatever we can harvest. That said, the eggplant and cucumbers are keeping us well supplied, and I got a few tomatoes plus the last of the spring planted kohlrabi last week. morning harvest cucumbers and eggplant We have been roasting the eggplant and used it to make eggplant sandwiches one day for lunch. We use a piece of toasted naan bread for a base, spread with mashed avocado. Topped with pieces of roasted eggplant and a slice of cheese, it makes for a tasty treat we really enjoy. roasted eggplant sandwich The summer lettuce is hanging in there. I have more...

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. The cucumbers and eggplant are still playing starring roles here, and we have been getting enough of both to keep us supplied and to share some with friends. morning harvest big morning harvest I cut a few of the summer lettuces to use for salads and sandwiches. They weren’t full sized, but plenty big enough to use. summer lettuce It’s not going to be a good year for the summer squashes. They are suffering from the same wet conditions that the spring brassicas did, since they are both in the same bed. We are enjoying the yellow Tempest squashes though, and they seem to be faring better than the zucchinis so far. another morning harvest The berries are pretty much done for here, but something new came along – the first tomatoes! This was just a few each of Sunpeach, Cherry Bomb and Sun Sugar. first tomatoes of 2025 Another first was the Wildcat hot pepper. It’s a big caye...

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. I’ve been suffering from a summer cold bug the last few days, but the harvests keep coming in regardless of how I feel. My wife is helping out, especially with watering chores. Rain is forecast for this coming week so that should help a bit. Before I got sick, I pulled more kohlrabi and brought in squashes, cucumbers and eggplant. The raspberries are still trickling in, and we also got more blackberries and blueberries last week. morning harvest blueberry harvest blackberries and raspberries The greenhouse cucumbers are not slowing down though, and I got enough last week to share with others. I also got one of the Starry Night acorn squashes. early July harvest Starry Night acorn squash The container eggplants haven’t slowed down either, and while they require daily watering the plants are rewarding us with plenty to eat. container eggplant harvest I’m just beginning t...