For a small time gardener, the dog days of August are possibly the toughest of the entire year! I long for cooler weather, but, as not to be wasteful, I try to keep up steam in tending to my garden! It looks like a sad dried up desert! It seems that no matter how much fresh, cool well water I pour on it, I can expect wilted dried out plants by high noon each day! I was determined to go all organic this year and have learned a lot along the way! Tomatoes were late fruiting because I had to much nitrogen in my soul! I had 5 foot plants that were deep green & leafy, but they were so slow to flower. However, once they began, I have had all the tomatoes I could handle from just 6 plants! So far I have canned potatoes, carrots, greenbeans, peppers, & tomatoes!!! Lots of tomatoes! I have made 14 quarts of vegetable soup & frozen tomatoes for chili which I will can next week. I have frozen squash, blueberries, & blackberries! (Blackberries will become blackberry jelly when the weather is cooler!). This week I am canning fig butter & fig preserves! Then there will be Scuppadine wine. Tonight though, I have been planning my fall garden. So many people don't take advantage of the fall growing season. I may enjoy my fall garden even better than the summer one! It is certainly nicer to work in with the cooler temps! So, as we wait out these last scorching summer days, we must continue working hard and making the most of every harvest God blesses us with!
