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EECO Farm – JULY 2024 newsletter for Gardeners | |
“July is a
blind date with summer.”
High, Wide and Lonesome – Hal Borland (1900 -1978)
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Well, the growing season at EECO Farm is moving along very nicely now and the farm itself is picture worthy --- either painted or photographed! Please feel free to walk around and take either action.
By now many of us have already harvested (and no doubt eaten or given away!) plenty of zucchinis, tons of lettuce, beans of various types, peas, beets, strawberries, many kinds of onions, a few varieties of radishes, etc. We often refer to picking “fruits and vegetables” at EECO Farm … but do you truly know the difference? It may seem obvious but don’t feel bad if you’re not 100% sure and you are definitely not alone.
| From a culinary standpoint it is relatively easy to tell the difference: fruits and vegetables are mainly separated based on flavor. Fruits are mostly sweet to the taste (like apples, melons, pears, etc.) or sour (tart cherries, citrus, etc.) while vegetables --- broadly speaking --- are mild to taste (lettuce, potatoes and the like) and/or savory (carrots, radish, spinach). | |
It is their botanical makeup that truly separates these two from each other and thus classifies them as distinct. Fruits always come from the flower of the plant that they grow on. If the edible produce develops on (or in) parts of the plant that are other than a specific flower, then they are veggies! Simple as that.
Also, fruits always contain seeds while vegetables consist mainly of edible roots, stems and/or leaves and the plant develops their seeds as they die off. For a quick review and just to name a few examples: watermelon, cucumber, avocado, squash, corn, grapes, eggplant, olives, pumpkins, peaches, tomato, lemon and lime, zucchini, beans and peas are all fruit while turnips, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, radishes, onions, parsnips, asparagus, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard and garlic are all classified as vegetables.
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Speaking of garlic --- if, as most gardeners do, you have removed the scapes from your garlic plant a week or two ago, then the top-most leaves have turned brown by now so you may want to dig up one garlic head just to see how the rest are doing. Depending on when you planted the original garlic cloves (and the variety) the beginning-to-mid July usually means harvest time.
Now, in that empty space left behind in your garden by the removal of your mature garlic heads you can once again directly sow seeds for cabbage, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes and the like for a fall crop. Or get a jump by putting in greenhouse transplants of peppers, tomato, etc.
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To get larger blooms on your stalk flowers (dahlias, sunflower, hollyhock, etc.) remove all those small side shoots from the main stem.
Divide your iris and daylily now, if you have any and want more.
Harvest your green/string beans daily: the more you pick, the more the plant will produce. Same holds true for cucumber and zucchini.
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With the higher July temperatures and daylight you will need to water your garden at EECO Farm at least once a week for a full 45 minutes (in total) in order to produce about an inch of water covering your entire 20’ by 20’ patch. Most gardeners do at least that much watering, but usually in two or three 20-minute sessions. Remember, the more robust plantings that you have will need deeper and longer watering!
It is also wise to avoid top watering (just wetting the first 2 inches of your garden’s dirt) by aerating your soil before (or while) watering. Use a hand trowel or a broad-blade garden knife to punch holes 4 to 6 inches deep about a foot away from the plant’s base. Pour water heavily into that hole.
If you are planning a vacation, remember to arrange for a surrogate waterer. Heat waves and a local drought --- even a short one --- can literally be killers. EECO Farm does not give out specific recommendations as we cannot be held accountable for poor quality of service but if you inform us by email that you need this watering service, we may be able to hook you up with an arrangement in exchange for a donation. Please give us a decent amount of lead time.
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NOTE: OUR ONE AND ONLY FULL-MOON POT LUCK DINNER WILL BE ON AUGUST 17th.
OFFICIAL START TIME IS 6 P.M. BUT YOU MAY SHOW UP EARLIER IF YOU WISH.
Please bring a dish of food, bread, wine or dessert for the common table to share
WE NO LONGER CHARGE A FEE BUT ASK FOR DONATIONS TO COVER EXPENSES.
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IF ANYONE HAS GENTLY USED GARDEN TOOLS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO ECCO FARM IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
ALSO --- WE WOULD GLADLY ACCEPT OUTDOOR TABLES AND CHAIRS.
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