It’s a great feeling to see your garden in full maturity and producing as much or more than you hoped for.  That’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year.  Harvesting is vital to good production, the more you pick the more you get!  Leaving fruits on plants to get over-ripe signals the plants to slow or stop production.  Of course, overabundance can become a burden too, unless we have some good ways to deal with it all.  Let’s look at some of the possibilities for too many zucchinis, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, etc. and be prepared for seasonal pests out there now.

August garden care can be pretty intense.  It’s no time for the “fair weather gardening”!  Weeds (the right plant in the wrong place) are enjoying the season too.  While most garden plants are big enough to compete with weeds, there is one extremely important reason to control weeds:  Seeds!  Even if you decide to let some weeds have their way in your garden, do not allow them to flower and go to seed.  Those seeds will be next years weeds and you can eliminate them now.  In fact, most weed seeds can stay dormant in the soil for several years and accumulate for future growth.  Deadheading and discarding weed tops now is a great investment for your gardening future!

Tomatoes:  As you harvest tomatoes continue to prune off any yellowing lower branches to get rid of older leaves that are no longer feeding the plant and are prone to diseases.  Weekly applications of compost tea (see the mid-July article under Tomatoes for details), Serenade, or fungicidal copper are all good organic practices to prevent diseases from getting started in these humid days of August.

Too many tomatoes?  After you’ve eaten, canned, & given away all you can what to do with the rest?  Freeze them whole!  It’s very simple and works well for those winter sauces.  Whole tomatoes, especially Roma/pasta types place in freezer bags, no blanching needed.  When you defrost them in a colander the juice drains out (drink it!) and the skins slip off.  I like simple.

Zucchini abundance should not be a problem.  Zucchini stuffed, fried as fritters, in salads, and zucchini breads are great.  But wait there’s more… Zucchini soup!  We always make gallons of frozen zucchini soup as an excellent vegetable base for all kinds of delicious winter soups.  Try this recipe, I know you will like it:

Zucchini Soup

You can decrease or increase all the amounts (depending on the ingredients you have) just keep the ratios similar. The basic soup is delicious as is but even better when you add any leftovers, shredded cheese, ham, prosciutto, chicken, veggies… pretty much anything cooked you have handy. Be adventurous!

7 lbs (6-7 medium) zucchini trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 lbs onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 Tbsp flour
6 cups water or stock
2 Tbsp kosher salt (omit if using salted stock)

1. In a large stockpot (8 qt) heat oil and butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions and garlic and cook until golden brown (caramelized)
3. Add the flour to make a thick, chunky paste.
4. Add the liquid to the paste in increments stirring constantly to achieve a smooth sauce.
5. Add the zucchini and cover the pot.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour or until zucchini is very tender.
7. Enjoy the soup as is or puree with a stick (immersion) blender or food processor for a creamy, velvety texture.
8. Freeze in reusable juice bottles or milk jugs or chill. 
9. Before serving add your choice of herbs, meat, shredded cheese, cooked vegies, leftovers.
10. Heat in microwave or on a burner till piping hot.

Makes 1 gallon 

Too many Cucumbers?  Cukes are less versatile than zucchini or summer squash but still have possibilities.  Natural pickling with Kosher or sea salt is a great way to preserve them for tasty treats for months.  A very simple way to keep them for a few weeks, ready to eat, follows this easy recipe: 

                                    Refrigerator Cucumber Pickles

            Dissolve the salt & sugar into the water-vinegar liquid.  Add the sliced cukes and refrigerate.  Eat immediately or let them develop more flavor overnight.  Dress them with yogurt or sour cream for extra appeal.  Simple!

Garlic Harvest & Storage.  Some garlic has been harvested by now but just in case…Dig, don’t pull the whole plants out.  Brush off soil from top and around the roots and set out in the sun for a couple days to thoroughly dry the skins and roots.  Next set them in a shaded, well ventilated area to “cure” for several weeks, until the stems are completely dry.  I hang them in bunches of 3 or 4 tied up along the beams in our garage. After drying you can cut off the stems about 1-2 inches above the head and store in a basket away from heat and humidity.  Most basements/cellars will do.  If you have some heads that have begun to open and spread the cloves, eat those first, they won’t store well.  Set the very largest heads aside for planting in late October so you grow bigger garlic next year.

Pest Alerts. 

Japanese Beetles continue to emerge from the lawns and are moving onto beans, raspberries, roses, and whatever is available.  Handpicking works, traps placed away from your valued plants also help.  Every adult that you remove from the population is one that won’t reproduce many more for next year.

Cabbage moths (white wings with a black spot) continue mating and laying eggs on cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, etc.  They will hatch into “cabbage worms” that can spoil a great harvest.  Snag the flying adults with a children’s’ butterfly net and apply weekly treatments of Bt or Dipel (caterpillar killer) to the plants.  These are naturally occurring bacteria that will stop the caterpillars and are harmless to us.

Earwigs have been abundant this year.  They are beneficial predators of pest insects but also like to chew leaves and flowers.  If you find too many small holes or eaten leaves & blossoms (dahlias) apply Diatomaceous Earth (DE) on plants showing damage after each rain.  DE is made from fossilized diatoms (no chemicals) that acts like microscopic broken glass to crawling pests such as slugs, snails, earwigs, and ants.

Remember to compost your food and yard wastes for the best garden fertilizer.  Here’s a short video to help you get your own compost started.

What are you seeing on in your garden?  Got questions?  Suggestions? Submit in Comments below.

Bring your plant or bug samples to the Mount Holly farmers’ market Plant Clinic on the Belmont Green Saturday mornings.