I do not know what to make of these summer temperatures
except that we decided to set up our sprinklers today, which we had stored in our red barn a while ago. It was necessary, given that we are experiencing the most intense and prolonged dry spell so far of this erratic summer. I’m not complaining because this heat will give a boost to the vegetables already in the fields, especially those recently planted, but water is a source of life, and without it, the seedlings will languish in situ, hoping that Mother Nature will show them some mercy. Since no clouds are are in the forecast before the end of September, we have decided to bring out the heavy artillery and call on our irrigation ponds, which have hardly been used this summer anyway.
The nice weather also gives us leeway to clean our fields nonchalantly, almost,
and to continue sowing our green manures. In short, the week will be busy, but the level of intensity has started to decrease, and this market gardener is quite relieved…
In your baskets, memories of summer are quickly fading –
save possibly for peppers, but even those plants are starting to wear out. On the other hand, I am happy to offer you celery root, a finnicky vegetable that often wants for fertility and/or water but seems to have had enough of both this year. Leeks are back, and this week’s squash will be the courge musquée, known even in French by its English name, ‘la butternut’. There will also be a couple of leafy vegetables (lettuce and kale), and I am aiming to do a final harvest of tomatillos to free up those beds and prepare them for winter. We’ll round out the basket with one or two yet-to-be-determined root vegetables…
We look forward to seeing you all again.