Friday, August 09, 2019

Mid-Summer Garden Report



For my vegetable garden friends—time for a mid-summer report on how things are doing. In a word, quite well but first the failures—radishes just didn’t make it. Too hot too soon, I’m guessing. They immediately went to producing seeds and forgot about first making a radish. So zero radishes. Last year they were one of my best crops. Sweet corn doesn’t look all that great either. First harvest coming up.

Outstanding crops so far this year: Cucumbers, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, lettuce, kale, (especially Russian Kale that apparently finds Waushara County a good place to expand its influence), and early cabbage. Beets are tasty, but I’d put them in the average category. Onions are okay, but a bit small. Tomatoes average. None ripe yet.

Three unusual crops, unusual to me anyway. First climbing purple snap beans. Never saw any beans quite like these. They are pretty to look at as they grow. And guess what? When you cook them, they turn from purple to green. I planted some Red Gold early potatoes. New to me. Yield not great, but very tasty. Red on the outside, gold on the inside. And carrots, well my main weed-puller and harvester, daughter-in-law, Natasha, suggested we try some multi-colored carrots. That’s right, you can grow carrots that are white, purple, brown, everything but the orange color of “regular carrots.” They grow kind of long and skinny, to my mind they look like a cross between a poorly developed radish and a lead pencil, Guess what? When you cook them, they don’t turn orange. But they do taste like carrots, mostly.

No comment on my winter squash, pumpkins, and gourds. Patience.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you are gardening, remember to do first things first, but not necessarily in that order.

ANOTHER WRITING OPPORTUNITY:

WHAT: A “Telling Your Story Workshop”
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019—9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Wyocena Community Center, Wyocena, WI
REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Contact Wyocena Library (608-429-4899) or Portage Public Library (608-742-4959)
Workshop fee includes a copy of my book, “Telling Your Story,” and a catered lunch.
Sign up soon, limited seats available.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 7, 5-8:30, Autumn with the Al Ringling Theater, Wild Rose Ranch, E12311 Cty. Rd. W, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Circus stories.

September 12, 7:00 p.m. Belleville H.S. Auditorium, Belleville. Simple Things: Lessons From the Family Farm.

September 18, 9-4 Writing Workshop, Wyocena Public Library, Wyocena (see above for details)

September 20, 12:30 p.m. UW-Platteville, Baraboo Campus, 1006 Connie Rd., Baraboo, WI. History of WI Agriculture.

October 5, 10-2:00 p.m. Dregne’s, Westby. Book signing.

October 12 1:00 p.m., Fox Cities Book Festival, Menasha Public Library

October 22, 6;30 Sun Prairie Public Library, Sun Prairie, WI

October 24, 1:00 p.m. Friends of Muehl Public Library. Outagamie County Home and Community Education Assoc. Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 349 N. Main St. , Seymour, WI Rural Wit and Wisdom

November 9, 9:00 a.m. 2nd Sat. Plymouth Art Center, Plymouth, WI. Sheboygan County Historical Research Center. Farm Winter With Jerry Apps

November 18, 1:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, Kiel, WI Wisconsin CCC

Purpose a copy of THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS IN WISCONSIN, and SIMPLE THINGS: LESSONS FROM THE FAMILY FARM from your local bookstore or buy them from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org


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