78. Apples & The Fall Garden

Where has the time gone, friends? August came and went too quickly. School has started back and the fall garden is officially planted. Does anyone else feel like this summer flew by or was it just me? Let’s dive in to what all has been happening in my garden.

First up, I felt like I kind of pressed pause on garden work for the most part in August. It was very hot and humid, not pleasant to be out working in the garden. I did however get some zinnias, sunflowers, cucumbers & corn going the later part of July and they are showing off now. Corn should be ready to harvest in the next couple of days. I have been harvesting from the flowers for myself and friends.

One thing that didn’t slow down in August was canning. While it wasn’t an everyday thing, I still canned lots of potatoes in the early part of the month and later in the month I got ahold of two boxes of apples. While I’m not all the way through with them, I have gotten a good amount put up. So far I’ve made a couple batches of applesauce and a batch of apple pie filling. I have also ordered some pears from Azure Standard so that I can make some pear sauce and a few other things with them.

This is the first year that I have had all of my fall garden crops planted before Labor Day. Usually I get a few in but some others go in after. Last year I waited too late on a few things and an early frost took them out. As far as what I have planted, I always have a few main staples plus a few extras I try to add in. My main staples are carrots, broccoli and lettuce. The extras I added in this year all serve different purposes. Kale is a green that I can eat on throughout the winter time when little else is fresh. I added in a lot of celery this year to freeze and use in broth making. Last year, I grew cilantro in the fall and was surprised at how well it grew and didn’t bolt in the fall so I’m going to try again. Others are cabbage, bok choy and parsley.

This year I am doing a couple things different with my fall garden as well. I am adding cover crops in bare spots to add nutrients to the soil. I am trying Hairy Vetch and Crimson Clover both from True Leaf Market. I am also adding shade cloth to my newly planted fall crops to help combat the 90 degree heat that is coming back next week. While they don’t like the hot sun, I am hoping the 50% shade cloth over the top will help them get acclimated until the heat subsides and the cooler temps return while still allowing them to root into their space and continue to grow.

I hope your garden’s are still looking good this time of year and don’t forget to add in some of those cool season crops for a fall harvest. It really is the sweetest addition to the whole year.

Until Next Time, Happy Gardening!