A Work in Progress
As we head into August, I thought it would be a good time to take a look around the garden and see where everything stands at this point. Here’s a list of the things that aren’t quite ready, but are well on their way.
Blackberries
Ground Cherries
Gonzales Cabbage
Hubbard Squash
Beaverlodge Tomatoes
The Beaverlodge tomatoes are an early variety, and are pretty much the only tomatoes that have recognizeable fruit at this point (besides some of the cherry tomato plants). I’ve been reading with envy about those of you who have tomatoes ripening right now. I don’t know if it’s due to our relatively cool summer or not, but we’re still pretty much at the flowering stage for most of them. I can remember freaking out last year, and I ended up with a pretty good crop, so maybe I just need to relax. I do have big plans for my dozen or so plum tomato plants though, so I can’t say that I won’t be a little choked if I don’t end up getting any fruit!
That reminds me – Jill, if you’re reading, my ketchup recipe is packed away and in storage, but I’m pretty sure it came from Blue Ribbon Preserves. I’ll have to get the book out of the library because I wasn’t thinking ahead when I threw it in a box in April, so I’ll try to post the recipe if I’m able to find it.
Anyone else suffering from late tomatoes?
Wow…what for delicious fruits you have in your garden!
Have a nice weekend,Cheryl!
Mine are still green except the cherry tomatoes which we get a cereal bowl amount every other day. I too keep reading of bloggers who are already harvesting roma’s and other larger tomatoes. I did have an orange tomato that was ripe. I found it yesterday growing in a hole of their cages i made from leftover fencing. It was a smaller hole and the tomato was beginning to become one with it. I pulled it, which came in half much to the joys of the hens.I do see a few others just starting to get some color. All the ones started from direct seeding are still at the darker green stage. I wonder if ketchup would be good from purple and orange tomatoes….
My tomatoes are still green, but that’s fairly typical for the zone 3 that I live in without a lot of greenhouse help. The photos are gorgeous! I’m a bit jealous of those fresh figs…
“Late” tomatoes? Welcome to Maine! π
We have tiny Matt’s wild cherries, but I’m just waiting for the others to ripen. The plants are LOADED, though.
All your fruit is lovely… is it in containers, or planted in at your mom’s?
Lots of tomatoes in Missouri are ripe now. Of course the late freeze made sure we have only a few local peaches,grapes,blue berries,etc.–in my part of the state anyway. I think now that so many people are trying to eat local we are more aware of it. One of the local orchards advertised peaches from Colorado today. Enjoy your posts so much, your pictures today were excellent. Thank you for sharing your life with us. We learn so much!
Elaine in Kansas City
Wow! You have a lot of stuff getting ready.
It’s so amazing to me that you just being a wee bit north have a bit of a later season.
I would share some tomatoes with you if you were closer(:
Our tomatoes are still green but getting there. Our kids are watering for the neighbour and she told them to take the tomatoes that ripen. They got a large (apple size) tomato yesterday. Your fruit looks great. I still have some raspberries and got some fruit from Kelowna when there. We are going back in a few weeks so will get some plums. I have never had ground cherries, what are they like?
Steffi – Thanks, you too!
Tammie – I’m planning to make ketchup with my orange plum tomatoes, so I hope it’s good!
Katie – It’s good to hear that I’m not alone.
I’m really excited about the figs, they’re a fairly recent addition to the garden.
Liz – The fruit in the first few photos are from my mom’s trees; I took the fruit off of mine to try to minimize the stress they were under (although there are two tiny figs hanging in there on my fig tree!). The rest of the plants are things that I started at our old house and transplanted here.
Elaine – Thank you! How devastating to have crops destroyed by frost. I’m sure that those eating locally must really be feeling that loss.
Chelee – Thanks for offering to share!
I think our later season is more of a matter of being further west than north. Being right on the water keeps us a good 5 – 10 degrees (celcius) cooler than everywhere else. It could also be that I should have started my seeds earlier!
Dawn – Ground cherries look like tomatillos but taste sweeter. It’s hard to explain their flavour, but they’re quite tasty, and add nice contrast to fruit salads. This is my first time planting them, but so far they’re really easy to grow.
Thanks Cheryl! I just checked out the Fraser Valley Library site and they don’t have the book. I may just have to order it and add another book to my collection. LOL
Jill – It’s certainly a book worth having just for the Peach Melba (raspberry) Jam recipe!
Fabulous garden, Cheryl! This is my first visit and you’ve already given me some great ideas. I love the green beans climbing the sunflowers. My husband measured my sunflowers this morning and the tallest is 10 1/2 feet! It reaches about 3 feet above the deck railing so I’ll be able to pick all my beans next year (provided I have a 10 1/2 feet tall sunflower again!).