Daughter, Sue showing off a winter squash. Photo by Jerry Apps

Here is my Labor Day garden report with several changes since I shared my July Fourth report.  The most disappointing event was with my Kennebec white potatoes.  I gave them a grade of B in July.  Now I must give them an F.  In early August a blight attacked them and killed the plants. In my more than 50 years of gardening, this has never happened.  My red potatoes did not suffer from the blight near as much and they offered a fair yield.  A grade of A- to them.

As is true of every year of gardening, some vegetables do very well, some fail.  That is so true this strange year.  A grade of A goes to lettuce, (still cutting lettuce), kale, beets, carrots (best crop in years), string beans, and zucchini (never had a bad year with zucchini.)  

Those vegetables receiving an F, besides the Kennebec potatoes include radishes (not one), rutabagas (runty and wormy), and broccoli (never recovered from an early rabbit attack). I thought I had an agreement with the “Head rabbit” to stay out of my garden, but he said his extended family was hungry, what with the dry spell we had.

Grades for the other vegetables at summer’s end: Cabbage-C, Sweet corn-D, Kohlrabi-B. Cucumbers-B, Tomatoes-B, Winter squash-B (first year in three that we’d had any), Peas-C, and Pumpkins-C.

A rather average year when all is said and done.  My major disappointments were my Kennebec potatoes and my sweet corn.  I really like sweet corn; as does the rest of the family. I doubt we got a dozen ears.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Every gardening year is different; what will next year bring?

.UPCOMING EVENTS:

Saturday, September 19, 1:30, Virtual Event, “Farm Stories,” Columbus Library. Click on the following for further information: https://www.columbuspubliclibrary.info/jerry-apps-live-virtual-event

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS AND DVDS.

My books are available at your local bookstore, online from bookshop.org, or 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

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s. Say hello to Jana and look at their great selection of my books or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414.