Early Harvest

An Early Harvest Season

The July Fourth holiday weekend was busy, hot and sultry for many. For many farms, it was haying season with the dry and hot weather conditions. In northwestern Pennsylvania, it appears to be an excellent crop and the equipment was able to get on the dry fields without any problems.
The corn was much better than "knee high". In many fields it was already chest high.
Potatoes in many fields are also blooming earlier than usual thanks to some great growing weather.
The strawberry crop was also earlier than normal this year and the season for many is now over.
The blueberry crop appears to be earlier than normal this year.

The garlic scapes and even the garlic seems earlier than normal, at least in my neck of the woods. I have one garlic patch which is almost ready for harvest and that is about two weeks earlier than usual.

Who knows what it all means? At least it isn't as cool and rainy as last year, although the storms seem to be more intense this summer.

One the downside, late blight appears to be spreading. It has now been reported in several western Pennsylvania counties. While not harmful to humans, the late blight is a disaster for home gardens with potatoes and tomatoes. One it appears, it's over; the plants will die within a short time, usually less than a week. The late blight destroyed many gardens last year. The fungus travels quickly from garden to garden, county to county and state to state.

There are some actions which can be taken now. There are sprays and home remedies, all of which need to be done before the blight appears.

  
    

        
        
        
        
      

  
  

    
  

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Some Tomato Thoughts

Tomatoes were first discovered back around 1520 and the first tomato cookbook was written about 1690. So tomatoes, in one sense, have a long history in gardens and kitchens. Included in this article are some tips on growing them. In another sense, tomatoes are relatively new vegetables when compared to some others.

Sunchokes:

Sunchokes are an old vegetable grown by the native peoples of North America, perhaps even before the tomato was discovered. Some people call then Jerusalem artichokes.
Regardless, they are healthy, flavorful and easy to grow. They can be tall, towering upwards of ten feet (behind Mike in the photo) and make for a quick privacy hedge. Learn more about the suncokes in this article.

Good Blogs to Read

On Your Way to the Top
Simply Snickers
New York's Southern Tier
Urban Veggie Garden

Over the last several weeks, we have been attempting to work on the layout. Thanks for the patience; it will all come together and be easier to read and navigate.