Laurel’s Garden in August

So, we still have long beans. Lots and lots of long beans. And basil. The other current producer is a cucuzzi squash. This is in the gourd family not susceptible to squash vine borers. You can pick it green or let it mature for a while as it becomes butternut-like. But too long, and you’ve got a gourd. I planted from seeds saved ages ago & only ended up with one plant. But it’s a monster.  Did you know you can eat squash greens? You can. Some are unpleasantly fuzzy if not downright prickly, but these are not bad at all.  One site with recipes & info.  However, one problem with this monster vine is that it’s growing up the fence shading a lot of other plants in this small garden. I wanted the shade, but due to the delay in planting summer crops to put in the dripline, a lot of those summer crops are still quite small and a few didn’t make it. We now only have 2 okra plants. There were many eggplants, and while hard to spot, I think they are hanging in there. But they are tiny. Good thing they can hang in there through fall. I also planted 2 pepper plants, but one recently died of mysterious causes & I haven’t known where the other one was for months. It was possibly shaded out while tiny by all the mustard spinach & mizuna that volunteered. Another interesting plant is roselle hibiscus, the variety used to make the tea. It goes by many names, too many to list.  It’s not flowering yet, but you can eat the leaves. They taste lemony like sorrel. The Tuscan Kale still looks good. An there’s a bit chard & other greens. Carrots that didn’t grow well, but you can eat the greens or use for flavor like celery. Purslane isn’t doing so well this year. Last year it was every where & beautiful.

Several brassica & lettuce seeds have been started using the ice cube method.