The biggest crop recently has been the cucumbers, which are doing very well. So well that I definitely need to make a bigger trellis for them next year. I’ve also picked a couple zucchini and have a bunch of other squash. So far though, each vine is only setting one fruit; the rest of the female flowers just get kind of yellow and wrinkled and fall off. I know they won’t set every fruit, but I still expect more than one per vine, so I’m not sure what the deal is.
The peas are still flowering, but they’ve slowed down, so I’m probably going to take them out this weekend to let the ground rest before I replant a fall crop. Pole beans are very tall, but not a ton of flowers or beans yet. Chard is doing well, and I should pick some of that. Eggplant just started flowering a couple weeks ago; they took the longest to catch up after the slow start.
A bunch of the onion tops are already dying back, and not the typical end-of-season browning and falling over. They just kind of collapse and melt away. Maybe too wet? The onion bulbs look okay, but there’s only a few plants that still have a good, solid green top left. Onions are the one thing I’ve never had good luck with, and I was expecting more this year since we graduated from heavy clay soil to something much lighter that they should do well in. I guess we’ll see come harvest time.
Looots of green tomatoes, and a few starting to turn, but we’ve only eaten one so far. Soon, though, we’ll be up to our eyeballs in them.
Overall, I think we’re faring pretty well, at least compared to some others. We’ve had some crazy weather – starting with the spring monsoons, we’ve seemingly had a few weeks of no rain, then six inches in four days, then a few more weeks with nothing, then several more inches this week. Such is Ohio weather I guess. Heck, we should be grateful – it could be snowing. And will be, sooner than we expect.
Is there a way to tell when yellow squash are ready to pick? We planted our first garden this year, and thanks to the deer have not had much to harvest, but we do have some squash and cucumbers coming in. I don’t want to pick the squash prematurely, but also don’t want to let it pass its prime. Any tips? Thanks!
As a general rule, I try to pick them when they’re 8-12 inches long or so. I don’t think you can really pick it prematurely if it’s at least a few inches long – the smaller it is, the more tender it will be. If you let it go too long, the skin will turn into almost a rind, and it’ll be very tough to cut or eat. So, if you’re not going by length, press your fingernail into the skin – if it leaves a mark, you’re probably okay, if not, good luck peeling it 🙂
Thanks! Squash for dinner!