Journal of a Gardener

July 31

We did no work in the garden today

July 30

William and I went alone to the garden this morning.  We had a modest harvest and came home to shell the peas.

July 29

We took the grandkids to the garden at 8:30 and worked until 9:30.  I took a camera and got a few pictures of the kids harvesting and playing.  We did the usual 4-5 minute gathering of Japanese beetles and harvested the same crops as yesterday.   Great nephew D. J. was with us.  After our harvest he took us a couple hundred yards down the road to see his garden – mostly his pumpkins.  He has a field of “monster” pumpkins and smaller Jack-o-lantern and pie pumpkins.  The big ones are lemon yellow and volleyball to basketball size.  The kids enjoyed finding several.  We then moved to the cucumbers – a long row of lush vines hiding dozens of cukes, some of which hide too well and get too big.  I tossed out several of the over-sized ones to the side.  The kids proceeded to make “squash pickles” by smashing them.  They created another world with its own rules and rewards for fifteen minutes or more while Patty and I got a big pan full of cucumbers.  The temperature was rising to the 90’s and so we left the garden and came home to shell the purple hull peas.  William and D. J. are champion shellers.  John is too young and Hannah doesn’t care.  Sister Annette came to see us in the afternoon and we gave her some peas and other produce.