Harvest Monday and Starting Fall Crops

July 8, 2013

It’s probably boring for you guys but I am still loving that we get much of the same produce from the garden!

(almost daily stroll through the garden to see how everything is doing – the chickens come with us 😉 )

We are still getting green beans (snaps) & lettuce…

carrots (though something is has eaten a few of them – we got the dog back so maybe she’ll take care of whatever it is…) kale, and blueberries (TONS and they’re still splitting because of the intense amounts of rain we have been getting)! 🙂 (I got this much one morning and had to pick a small bowl more before the end of the week was out)(splitting but still tasty! we just have to fight for them with the hornets and ants now)

Of course I am hoping for different things within the next two weeks but for how slow it was to warm up this spring, I am pleased we are getting so much.

Succession Planting…

I would love to preserve more of my harvests than I do every year. However, it seems something is always coming up (going through morning sickness, having a baby, or just the HEAT) and it takes all of my extra time/energy to just harvest – there is little energy/time left to preserve. I preserve our fruit (by freezing) but it is a rare year that I preserve anything more than a few gallon bags of tomatoes (easy preserving). I know this will happen so I have stopped planting everything at once.

I succession plant like my garden depends on it, because it does! Or, rather, my dinner table does 🙂 As long as it is in season (and I try to stretch the seasons out every year as well), I plant every two weeks:

• peas (spring and fall)
• lettuce (year round – during the summer, plant with snaps for shade)
• carrots, spinach, and kale (spring, fall & winter)
• snaps (summer)

Of course, there are plants that cannot be planted as frequently but do not have to be planted all at once either

• corn
• summer squash

And then there are those that are only planted once

• tomatoes
• peppers
• winter squash

This week, I planted more snaps and lettuce (keeping up the two-week succession), planted some late-season zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumber (trying to somehow outwit those squash bugs?) and went ahead and planted fall carrots, peas, and kale. It may be too early to plant the fall crops (this is only the second year I have done this so I am still unsure when to plant) but I only planted a little bit. I am planning on planting A LOT more (like 4x as much) the next planting (in about two weeks).

Is everyone else starting their fall crops already? Am I too early (zone 7a/7b – piedmont/eastern NC)?

I am linking up to Daphne’s Dandelions for Harvest Monday. Go check out what everyone else is harvesting 🙂

Advertisement