Can you remember when it was so dry in June? Seems like a LONG time ago now!
We got another 2.5 inches of rain this weekend. The pond is up to early spring levels. Fortunately, all the mulching that we have done in the garden is carrying us through this very wet July. The mulch prevents erosion during torrential downpours, keeps weeds from growing, and makes a great path for walking on. All this combines to foster healthy crops (even with wildly variable weather) and makes all our work in the garden easier and more pleasant, especially harvesting.
The first round of fall crops is in the ground ad growing! And it was so much easier this year than some others in the past! No need for lots of watering-in and irrigation. And even no need for row cover to protect those tasty brassicas from flea beetles. Flea beetles are tiny beetles, which can destroy freshly transplanted crops in a few days. But this year, our neighbour isn't growing canola close by. Canola is also a brassica and starts to dry down in July. At which point, the resident flea beetles start looking for their next meal. Last year, they moved to our garden in vast numbers. This year, not an issue. Plus, the flea beetles like it nice and dry. So the weather is in our favour this year too.
Late July and into August, we have a couple of slower weeks. Then the August onion and potato harvest will start and we'll be planting lots more fall crops. But now, we can catch our breath, prune and trellis cucumbers and tomatoes, and do a bit more weeding and mulching.
And enjoy the peak of summer! With an abundance of veg. Yum.
Hope you are having a great summer!
