Summer flower of the week is the sunflower. The Allison has several blooming in the pollinator meadow and in the garden. It is interesting to see just how many different bees visit these flowers which are rich in pollen and nectar. Later, lots of birds will visit the flowers for the seeds.
BASIL, FENNEL, & LETTUCE
Despite the summer heat, the gardeners continue transplanting young plants into the outside garden. This week, they added yet more basil, fennel, and lettuce.
SUMMER SQUASH
As mentioned last week, summer squash production is rising. The gardeners harvest the zucchini and patty pan squash 2 – 3 times a week. There are a lot of immature fruit on the plants. The garden will have plenty of summer squashes very soon.
CUCUMBERS & SQUASH
The extra attention the gardeners pay to the cucumbers and squashes means they look much better. There’s nothing like an extra dose of water and fertilizer to stimulate enough root growth to reach the existing soil nutrients.
TOMATOES
The gardeners have added harvesting tomatoes to their weekly harvest list. Very soon, The Allison will have an overwhelming harvest from them.
GYPSY PEPPERS
The garden will soon have Gypsy peppers ready for harvesting.
PADRON & SHISHITO PEPPERS
The gardeners harvested the first Padron and Shishito peppers this past week.
BEANS
Can you spy the beans? Yes, the gardeners will soon have beans to harvest. Anna Ashby, master gardener and beekeeper at The Allison, says, “I expect in another week or two we should have a decent picking.”
Anna continues, “Time is of the essence. We can’t bask in the summer abundance with no thought for the future. We are starting the fall/winter planting already. July is the month to plant all cauliflowers, broccolis, kales, parsnips, mustards, peas, and fennel for fall and winter production.”
Come to the garden to find the gardeners planting, transplanting, weeding, or harvesting.
-The Allison
