Our August Garden

Well, I can't say that this is my best gardening year ever. Portland has had a very hot and dry summer, which is not typical of the Pacific Northwest. I have also been out of town, a lot, and have handed the care of the garden over to a few different pet sitters. In the end, it doesn't really matter. I love being in the garden, tending to it and watching the insects. I love the colors. I love to be able to walk out my front door and come back in with fresh food to eat. I am just a teeny bit bummed that the garden is not producing like I expected.
Our biggest problem is blossom end rot. Both of the heirloom tomatoes, the spicy pepper, and some of the squash plants are being affected by this. I am guessing it is because the soil moisture has been so inconsistent from the extreme heat? We have seen this before in years past with our tomatoes, but I have never seen it to this extent before.
The squash plants are growing well, but most of the vines only have one fruit on them; the mini-pumpkins, the pickling cucumbers, the acorns and the delicatas. The zucchini are rocking and producing a ton, but even a few of the zucchinis have suffered blossom end rot too. Hoping that as the weather mellows out a bit, that things will return to normal and our harvest may pick up as well. The plants are still producing flowers, so I haven't given up hope yet.
But, in good news, we have a ton of plums and blackberries, and the grapes are getting close to being ready. The basil is going strong and the cherry tomatoes and healthy and delicious.  Plus, we have plenty of herbs for cooking and medicine.
The smaller-than-normal harvest will be a good motivator to have a magnificent fall garden. I actually starting doing a bit of planning yesterday....

What are you growing in your garden?

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