Fall Crops

This has been such a strange year in the garden.  Everything is late because of our cold wet summer.  It's unusual to be picking peas in August (it's usually late June!) and beans are a July crop under normal circumstances... perhaps we shall have a long warm fall... one can only hope!

Here is my brassica row - the same one that was covered in that row cover - remember?  All of the produce has been harvested and either eaten or frozen for winter.  Two days ago, I got out there and pulled all the remaining plants and dug up the soil to aerate it and loosen some compaction.  I was richly rewarded by seeing thousands of earthworms busily at work in every forkful of soil. The chickens (to the right in the above picture) want IN to the garden to eat those worms!!!!  I threw them a few, but I can't bear to let the hens in because they will destroy my lettuces and such...

I planted my tiny broccoli seedlings in that row as well as cabbage and cauliflower seeds.  I really should have started the cabbage and cauliflower seeds ahead of time, but I've been busy and didn't get it done.  Never mind, what's done is done.  I had planned on planting the fall brassicas to follow the beans in a different row, but because everything is so late, the beans are still producing so I can't pull those plants yet.  Can't help that - so in they went right where the Spring brassicas grew, and I hope for no disease... Back went the row cover as those cabbage months are still prolific in this area fluttering happily all over the garden.  It's crude and crooked row, but given that I was working in the heat and humidity, dripping with sweat while the mosquitoes bit me as I was trying dodge the onions and potatoes, I'm just happy the job is done, crooked or not!  Get what I mean?

I snipped some oregano, peppermint and pineapple mint.  It's all hanging in my kitchen window, drying out for winter use.

I have never dried herbs before, so if you have, and I'm doing this wrong, please let me know!  Share your tips :)

Megan picked some calendula flowers to infuse the petals in olive oil for soap making.   

It's official now....  we are addicted to soap making and it's hard to temper the desire to make it every day!  That kind of production needs to wait until winter because there is WAY too much to do in the garden right now justify working indoors!  Speaking of which, it's time to go out before the sun gets too hot :)  Have a happy day!