Full Summer Sun

You may be uncomfortable in the extreme summer heat, but the garden really loves it!

A good portion of the sunflowers have opened up and new ones open every day. The peppers have finally started producing too! We've gotten two bell peppers so far and there are a few more on the way. There are also handfuls of baby jalapenos that should be ready to harvest in the next couple of days.

Maybe the most exciting thing to watch grow is the watermelons. There are at least six or seven tiny watermelons the size of cherry tomatoes just getting ready to fatten up. A few bigger melons, like the one pictured below, almost doubles in size every day. Maybe by next week's work day we'll be able to cut one open. In effort to keep the watermelon vines out of the walkways, I've placed a few bamboo posts throughout the bed for the vines to grow upward. As watermelons begin to grow, their weight pulls the vine back down to the ground as needed. There are plenty of vines that do not have melons and really benefit from being exposed to more sunlight.


Our next couple of work days will be full of discussion about what to plant in the fall garden and starting those seeds. Join us!

Let there be squash!

The most productive crop in the garden right now is by far the squash. You might be surprised how quickly a blossom turns into a full blown squash. I've harvested at least 12-15 off of the four plants in the last week. All of it has gone to be handed out in the Deacon's Deli. As you can see from the next picture, there's plenty more on the way.


The watermelons are bringing up a close second place for most productive. Although there are not yet any melons growing, the watermelon vines seem to double about every two or three days now. They've completely covered their bed in the garden and are very quickly invading the walk ways. Because watermelons use up so much of the soil's nutrients, it is important to either spend a lot of time building up excess nutrients in the soil before planting or to constantly add fertilizers. I have even heard of people digging a hole, filling it with compost, and growing melons straight out of it. We've been spreading compost around the base of the plants and pouring compost tea on the leaves at least once a week.


The tomatoes and peppers, while growing a lot, have not started to fruit. Although they ideally should be producing by now, it isn't time to give up hope yet. They have also been receiving a weekly helping of compost tea (a mixture of compost and fish emulsion) and obviously respond well to the application. Some plants spend too much energy and nutrients in growing and maintaining their foliage and not enough on producing fruit. Because our plants can access so many nutrients, the lack of fruit is probably more due to lack of sunlight and the unbearable summer heat.

Volunteers at the next garden work day will begin seeding plants for the fall garden. We'll begin phasing in the fall garden as the summer garden reaches the end of its run.