Fun fact for anyone who doesn’t live in the Pacific Northwest; A/C is virtually non-existent here in the typical family home. Shocking, I know. Anyone, such as myself, who grew up in the very well-air-conditioned Florida, will have some major adjustments to face as they settle into a PNW summer. Luckily for us, we had a slow introduction to summer this year with cloudy, rainy days reaching a high of 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. While somewhat romantic, this weather was horrible for my garden. As a result, we have 4-5 snap pea plants that are thriving and a whole bunch of dead tomato and carrot plants. Not to mention my radishes simply stopped growing after they sprouted. Now, however, we are in the pits of summer. The days are in the high 80s-90s and the sun is in a full blaze all day every day. 

Current garden situation

So, in terms of the garden, how are we doing? Well, folks, we’re not doing great. We have harvested an absolute load of oregano, we have grown some dill, shockingly, and we have quite a few snap peas. Aside from that the edible side of the garden looks pretty dim. Slugs got to my cucumbers and my zucchini, but it seems like the zucchini might make it through! The past couple of days there have been a few new flowers and the plants are looking much healthier than before, though they are quite small. The flowers are fabulous, a sunflower is in bloom, and Bachelor Buttons – my new favorite flower – are going wild right now. Stay tuned for a fun project with these new blooms! 

Goals for the autumn garden

Keep in mind we are in zone 8b so we have an extended growing season!

1. I planted some more cucumbers and zucchini, so I’m hoping that we get a fall crop in late September. 
2. I would love to preserve some oregano and dry some sunflowers to have around to decorate indoors
3. We planted some carrots and extra tomatoes, so we’re going to cross our fingers and toes that something comes out of it!
4.  Hopefully, we learn some things that will help us out for garden season ‘23! 

What are your goals for the rest of the garden season? Are you in preserving mode or are you still trying to squeeze some last-minute production out of your crops? Let me know how your efforts are going and we can go on this journey together!