Yes! A garden update. A long overdue garden update.

When we built the box, we chose a spot in the yard that gets full sun from 4:30am when it starts getting light out, until almost 8pm when it starts getting dark. This is great for most of the veggies. However, I severely underestimated the amount of water a spot like that would need. After several days of soaking rain, the plants went bonkers, and I realized I really needed to soak the raised bed twice a day. Things have been going much better since then.

The black raspberries aren’t exactly in our designated garden space, but I think they deserve a place in this update. Swee and I went out this morning to check the bushes and came back in with five cups of berries. There are still more out there yet to ripen, so I think we will be heading back out before the weekend is over. I stashed some in the freezer, and we ate a bunch with dinner. If anyone has a good berry tart recipe, I’d be interested!

I planted both pickling and slicing cucumbers for the first time this year. The little picklers are doing far better than the others, and are climbing their way happily up the trellis. We already have two small cucumbers, and there are a ton of flowers. Has anyone ever canned pickles in a water bath? Everything I read says the process will turn them to mush, but I’m not quite ready to invest in a pressure canner, and I’d like to make pickles with more longevity than simple refrigerator pickles this year.

I have to stake the tomatoes this weekend. I really should have installed stakes when I transplanted the seedlings so as not to disturb the roots later on, but it’s too late for that. The cherry tomatoes are enormous and covered in flowers. A curious Swee popped the lone green tomato off the vine, so we’ll have to wait a little longer to taste them. I moved two beefsteak plants over and with some serious watering, they’re looking really strong. Hopefully we will get enough fruit to make some sauce for the winter.

The peas are also flowering, and the peppers have buds. The lettuce is doing well and the kale will have to be harvested tomorrow – it’s huge. My basil is taking a beating because a certain little one likes to pull leaves off and eat them. The arugula is starting to bolt, so it’s about done, but I think it had a good run. This is the latest in the season I’ve kept it going so I’m pleased.

We have an apple tree in the backyard that I’ve been watching. The fruit is still small but are starting to pink up. I am loving this mild version of summer, but I’m also looking forward fall, and to applesauce. And pumpkins! We received a packet of seeds in the mail today, and I can’t wait to plant them.

What are you harvesting this weekend?