August has been so incredibly hot this year. It’s been much too hot with too little rain. As a result, our garden is not fairing so well, especially since the drip system wasn’t making it all the way to the mini vegetable garden we have next to the house.
We still had a few good crops:
Tomatoes grow everywhere in our soil. The chickens and cows once used to graze nearby, so the soil had plenty of organic matter deposited naturally over the last few decades. The tomatoes are always grown in abundance since they are a favorite treat for the chickens.
We started just a few Italian Sweet Peppers, these are coming along nicely.
The Jalapeno Peppers also grow easily. They are a pretty sight with big bunches of bright red peppers ripe for the picking.
Our cucumbers sadly did not fare so well. This crop just didn’t get enough water to really thrive. Cucumbers are one of those vegetables where you need to increase the water once the fruit starts to form. Unfortunately for us, this is exactly when the drought hit. We got a few, but nothing compared to years past when we were giving them away by the dozen.
August is also a great time for some of our favorite flowers. We always grow a few varieties of Echinacea (aka coneflower). Not only are they stunning in the hotter months, but they also attract plenty of pollinators to the garden.
A gorgeous butterfly enjoys the nectar from a purple cone flower.
As you can see, the bees and butterflies just love them. Salvia is another favorite – the black and blue salvia pictured below is always nice in the late summer garden.
