Journal August 23, 2015 - Gathering the harvest, but thinking ahead

There have been no recent blog posts, as I have just been sitting back and letting nature take its course with the garden and greenhouse.  

To say the least: this has been a banner year for growing in upstate New York.  It has been hot and sunny, with just enough rain to keep the plants growing.

We have already canned several batches of tomatoes,  made relish and pickles, loaded the freezer with eggplant parm, and have garlic and onions to use for several weeks.  In addition, we have planted green beans in the space where the cucumbers, garlic and onions grew earlier in the season.

Normally, we go to local farms and pick tomatoes in the fall, however, this year that is not going to be necessary.   As stated above,  we have been canning for weeks, and there are many more tomatoes ripening on the vine, with several weeks remaining in the growing season.

For what we have invested in seeds, sets and gardening supplies, we have been well rewarded with the return on our investments this year.

So, as the growing season heads to its close, I am already starting seeds for indoor gardening, with three varieties of lettuce and either Tropic or Celebrity tomatoes.

As the greenhouse has a lot of  space, I plan on trying to force Green Ice, Merlot and Red Salad Bowl lettuce to bolt to seed so I can have fresh seeds for future crops.