Wow-it’s been almost a month since I last posted. How time flies! I go from posting a lot in July to not much at all in August. So what have I been doing in the last month?
Harvesting! Harvesting! Harvesting!!
TOMATOES
This year has been a great tomato year vs last year which sucked. When the harvesting starts in earnest, I become headless (but in a good way)! I can’t process the tomatoes into tomato sauce fast enough as it seems everyday was a new bumper crop that needed to be picked and eaten and dealt with (can’t let any of them go to waste)! Plus I’ve been selling some this year. I’ve really loved all those Caprese salads and know they will end in the not to far future.
CUCUMBERS
Most of the cucumbers have been harvested and preserved. I’ve made sweet pickle relish, Bread and butter pickles and cornichons. I tried to ferment some green DILL pickles but failed miserably (I’ll have to get my fermentation friends to help me). The dill pickles were too salty and not crisp like I had hoped. I think I left them in the crock too long and now the cukes are slowing down. Oh well, there is always next year.
BEANS
The green beans, Emerite are slowing down and the Zolphino dry bean pods are starting to dry out so I am harvesting them as the pods dry out and will shell them later this winter. I don’t wait till the end of the season but pick the dry pods as they are ready, otherwise the beans fall out of the shell if I wait too long. I’m so excited as I got them in Italy 2 years ago and last year when I planted them a gopher ate every plant and every plant I replanted. Of course the gopher had to eat my most expensive bean-it was 40 Euros/kilo (that is 47 dollars) over there as it is endangered in Italy and they are trying to bring it back. One thing is the gopher had good taste-it didn’t go after my less expensive beans.
CABBAGES
The Kalibos cabbages are ready for harvest too. All my fermenter friends will love getting one of these for sauerkraut or kimchi! I keep one too but they are so big, one does me just fine and will last for months in the refrigerator.
PEPPERS
The Corno de Horno peppers and Lava Red peppers are still green. I will wait till they turn red when they will be sweeter. There will be a bumper crop of both of these this year. Nice problem to have! I’ll have to figure out what to do with all of them! The Jimmy Nardello peppers are turning red (at a reasonable rate for harvesting). The Shishitos peppers have been kicking for a good month.
BERRIES/GRAPES
The grapes and blackberries are done but the raspberries are just starting to kick in and will be in full blast harvest mode soon. We are harvesting every 3 days now. It is a fall-bearing raspberry called Polana and it is the best producing raspberry ever for me at my garden.
SQUASH
My summer squash is still kicking and my winter squash, Butternuts, are starting to change color to tan and will be ready mid-end of September.
SHALLOTS
I harvested 2 beds of shallots which are now curing and will store these like onions for the winter. i love shallots over onions as they are sweeter and cost a lot more in the grocery stores.
CHARD/KALE
And of course, the chard and kale are loving the cooler weather and will go to frost. But they like it hot or cold weather wise. I have too much kale. Anyone want some?
CARROTS
All carrots are ready for harvest in the next 2 weeks.
CORNI grew sweet corn this year and waited too long to harvest. Bummer. There is always next year…
That’s it! Busy as a bee right now!
giantveggiegardener 
Your harvest is amazing! I would love some Kale? When can I pick some up?
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How about Sunday at 10 am? Out here at the micro-farm. I’ll send directions. Let me know if that works for you…
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I can’t do Sunday morning as I belong to a hiking group. Let me know what other time works for you. I can come in the afternoon or another day other than tomorrow. Also I remember you said that Azomite worked well for your plants. I bought some- do you think it helped your garden a lot? I’m planning to put in on my perennials. Should I do it in the fall or next spring?
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i sent you an email
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Any tips for late season tomatoes? Planted in mid June and they’re coming on good size, quantity and quality but still green. Thanks
Sent from my iPad
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Unfortunately, it depends on what variety you grew. If you grew late season varieties, you might still have green tomatoes by the first frost BUT if you grew some tomatoes with shorter days to harvest, you might be ok. No matter what, I always pick all green decent size tomatoes the day before the first frost comes which varies each year. Most of them will still turn color an ripen although they won’t be quite as flavorful as sun-ripened maters. I put my green tomatoes in paper bags 2 rows deep which I then close up the bags. When they are coloring up, take them out of their bags and let them finish on the counter. All is not lost even if they are still green then.
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A MONTH?! I am sorry that I lost track. It has been so crazy here, and I have not been writing either. (My posts are mostly recycled.)
While the garden here was abandoned a few times for different reasons, the kale, which should not have been sown so late anyway, somehow survived! (It and carrots were two vegetables that I would not have missed if they did not survive.) Now that it is already growing, I intend to leave it for autumn. Heck, it got through the worst of summer. It will be warm again in a few days, but the warmth will not last long, and cools off at night. I am sort of curious to see how it does. Even though I am none too keen on kale, I would be pleased if it produces. I really do not know how long it will last, but is not bothered by the pathetic frost here.
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My goodness! You’ve been busy! I was also wondering, how are your onions are doing? I planted Flat of Italy and they’re an intermediate day onion. Out if 150 robust plants that come up to my knees, only about 7 have bulbed and I’m waiting so impatiently for the rest! Hope they bulb out before it freezes 😬
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I ended up with no onions this year, just shallots. Flat of Italy is an excellent onion. Hope they finish bulbing soon but they can go a little longer with row cover on them for cold nites.
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Your Tomatoes look great. My big boy are still green. Seems like nothing happened when it was so hot. Now plant is growing with new blossoms. Now it is going to snow on Tues!!! what happened?
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Welcome to Santa Fe! Let’s see the day before if it will really get down to freezing or stay above 32°F. This happens almost every year where we get 1 or 2 days of very cold nites and then it warms up again for 3 weeks! You can always cover any tender veggie plants with row cover which would definitely protect them if it freezes and will give them more time to ripen.
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What Heirlooms did you plant that have ripened already? There is always next year, Thanks
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Lots of Paul Robeson, Cherokee Purple, Virginia Sweets, Cherokee Carbon (hybrid), Black and Brown Boar (open pollinated), Ananas Noire and Black Cherry tomatoes have been the most productive for me this year but every year is different. These are great tomatoes that are productive every year.
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