August Garden (2024)

 

The garden appears to be a wee bit out of control, but alas, that is August.

There is a method to this madness and the jungle is organized chaos. (I see it even though others can't.)  The goal is to waste no space and push the garden to the max since this is premium growing season. This is the time of the year when all of the the seeds I dropped into an empty spot becomes evident.  Something is going to grow in the bare soil - it will be either a vegetable or a weed.

In this bed, the okra will grow tall and should be over my head by the end of summer. Instead of leaving the soil below unproductive, the lower leaves have been trimmed to open up the understory for a new experimental vining squash, Teot Bat Put. It is larger and more aggressive than expected.

A cantaloupe is at the  end of this row and is supposed to trellis up a wire support. It has refused to cooperate and insists on spreading along the ground. Everything doesn't always go according to plans.

This corner has cherry tomatoes on the left growing up the fence and over the arches attached to the field fence. Sweet potatoes spread below. In the center are sweet peppers and to the right are tomatoes with winter squash underneath. The tall arch in the back is covered in lima beans and the water sprinkler can be seen high above. We haven't had one single little drop of rain this whole month.

The horses keep the fence row clear; hopefully, they won't devour the tomatoes growing toward them that are only a mere few inches from their reach. 

The right side of this corner looks impassible until you get up close.

There is a narrow passageway beside the squash vine located under the tomatoes and a tunnel below the lima bean arch at the end of the row. You must watch where you step and duck to get under the arch. It knocks my hat off every time. I may have to crawl through on hands and knees before frost hits.

Lima beans are slow to get established since they can't bear any cool weather. This year, they were started a month earlier in March and then transplanted into the garden in April. The harvest began a month earlier! It has already made a huge increase in the output compared to last year.

Frosty Lima beans are huge and will swell even larger when cooked. Their flavor is a unique from other varieties. The roots take up a small space and there are only three plants growing all together. They have grown over this arch for two years in a row but it has been easy to plant the roots in different spots to avoid any nutritional deficiencies.

The been pods are hidden in the leaves but can be found when looking underneath. We almost missed the early harvest because we weren't expecting it and didn't see them until they began to dry

Not everything has been a smashing success. The garbanzo beans have been a failure. They look spindly and the pods are dropping before maturity. Bummer. We like garbanzo beans so it would be great to be able to grow them.

Bill built a new structure from the old chicken yard doors.  The broken, storm tossed chair with the short leg (caused by a weed eater accident) was placed inside.  Everything around here keeps being recycled and repurposed until it falls apart (I am included in that list). Green beans were planted to make a shady spot for my frequent coffee breaks.

The plants on the sunnier left side (south) are twice the size of those on the right (north) side. The back of garden continues to get shadier as the trees in the woods grow taller. There is one empty spot to the left of the arch that has not been reseeded yet. It was caused by a thieving racoon who dug up my sweet potatoes. Bill caught him red handed. Something will be planted there when/if there is ever rain in the forecast again.

This is the view while sitting under the green bean arch facing the morning sun. The right (south) side of the garden is already in full sun. The shade on the left (north) will last until after lunch. A new patch of purple hull peas doesn't seem to mind the low light and are blooming. The pole protruding in the middle of the peas holds the sprinkler as it is moved from spot to spot.

Tomorrow will be the first of September and the green beans over the arch are only just now beginning to bloom. They obviously don't like any shade at all.

Even though they can't seem to produce a bean, at least hey keep me cool as I rest.  Not everything that appears to be a failure really is. The green bean arch has been a smashing success for me. 

Last Month's July Garden (2024)
Last Year's August Garden (2023)

Through the Garden Gate