Summer weather has remained quite temperate, the beans are coming strong, the remaining squash plant has pooped out unexpectedly early, and the tomatoes are just now starting to ripen.
I started some broccoli seeds last week as there are still no plants for sale in the nurseries. They really germinated quickly within just a week so I may be able to thin out transplant by the end of the month into Box 1 for Autumn.
The squash is done, not sure why it pooped so early. Other than rather severe mildew which I tried to control with pruning, the plant seemed ok. We got a good harvest but it only really lasted a bit more than a month. The box has been getting drip @60 minutes 3x's a week all summer. The squash had bubblers and the beans had the drip. Now I've turn off the bubblers and cut the time to 45 minutes per session.
The beans are full on now. Next year I should plant half as many as it's too hard to find the beans within the canopy and we can't eat them all anyway.
Box 2
The cherry gold tomatoes are coming now and quite tasty.
These are the first full tomatoes to ripen, the Carmellos. Early Girls are turning as well as one of the Better Boys. Full on harvest for all plants within two weeks it seems like. As I noted earlier, the plants will stay lush with regular watering just until the fruit is ready to ripen. At that point the greenery starts to die back regardless of how much water the plants are given. It actually seems like keeping the same watering schedule at this point would be too much for the plant and would hurt the harvest so I've cut back from two hand waterings and one drip @60 minutes per week to two drips @45 minutes per week while keeping an eye on them.
Box 4
The padróns are coming, plenty of flowers but fruit is taking its time to ripen. Drip has been 60 minutes x 3 times a week, now down to 45 minutes x 3.
Box 5
The herbs are shoulder-to-shoulder in the box, everything doing very well. Drip has been 60 minutes x 3 times a week, now down to 45 minutes x 3.
I decided to put dill and cilantro into their own pots since I was having such bad luck with them in the boxes. I'll be trying to stagger seedings as long as it works. I also have some methi (fenugreek) seeds coming in the mail and will try a pot of those as well in the same manner when I get them.
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