To say this summer has been an intense one (weather-wise) would be an understatement. It’s been the hottest, most humid, and, at times, wettest summer I can remember. If it’s not one extreme it’s another. And all this has made for an interesting year of gardening!
I planted earlier than ever this year, so that we were harvesting most of our plants by late June. Usually, I’m not doing much picking until after the Fourth of July. So, that was a pleasant surprise!
You can see what our garden was looking like early last month in this post.
Overall, this year has gone really, really well. And honestly, I’m kind of surprised, because I certainly feel like the busyness of the season has caused me to neglect the garden far too often.
I’m sad to report that mid-July, we discovered our zucchini plant was infested with squash bugs. Ugh! For about two weeks, I went out every single morning and night and picked them (and their eggs) off, leaf by leaf. Fortunately, I had caught it early enough so that we only lost about half the plant and it continued to go strong until about a week ago, when a second infestation took over. Because we have some spaghetti squash nearby that hadn’t been taken over quite as badly (but which I knew would be their second stop), I made the decision to dig up the zucchini early. As sad as it was, I was so thankful to have had our most bountiful year yet – we easily got 30-40 zucchini this summer!
With that, I’ve been doing a lot of research on what the squash bug infestation this year means for growing the same plants next year. The little buggers can hang out in the soil and linger for years. Crop rotation is one option, but I fear our garden space is too small and that they’ll just pop right on over to the next bed. So, I may actually skip planting any kind of squash for the next couple of years in hopes of avoiding them (which is kind of breaking my heart.) Anyone have tips and tricks when it comes to dealing with these garden pests? I’d be so grateful for your advice!
I also pulled out our larger tomato plant last week. While it was producing just fine, I planted our grape tomatoes a little too close and those were simply taking over the space, to the point that I couldn’t reach in to harvest both and we were losing a lot of tomatoes (and they were starting to rot and smell something awful!) I was hoping to plop it into a garden bag or big container, but did way too much damage in the process of moving it out!
In place of some of what I dug out early, I’ve planted seeds for a fall harvest in their place. I went with carrots, kale, Swiss chard, and spinach! I also have some turnips I’m looking to get in the ground this week.
As of right now, our peppers, eggplant, spaghetti squash, Brussels sprouts, sunflowers, and zinnias are going strong.
While I love gardening season, I have to admit that I’m excited to be transitioning into fall. I’m ready for a little breather and for the opportunity to document my lessons learned this year and start planning for an even better garden season next year!
How are your summer gardens going? Have you noticed the crazy weather having any impact on your plants? I’ve never seen mine wilt and come back to life so many times over, and have been so thrown about having to water twice a day one week and not once the next (looks like I won’t have to water this week, if the rain keeps at it like it has been!)
I hope you’ve been enjoying the fruits of your labor, friends!
xo, Aly