August meant most task were maintenance tasks, as spring planting was over, and fall not quite here. So, I cleaned up the greenhouse and dealt with water storage.

Note: The video version of this post gets released on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

It’s a very windy day and even though it is very sunny, we’ve barely reached the 20 degree mark today.

It just doesn’t get hot. It gets hot for a day or two to the degree where you barely can go outside. But we haven’t had any actual summer temperatures this year. We’ve had winter, winter, winter, winter, a tiny bit of spring and then more fall.

And I’d really, really like a summer but I’m not complaining as long as it stays dry.

We’re good. We’re gonna make it. I mean some of our plants would like some more heat but I can’t help that and this is already so much better. Okay, I’m gonna clean up in the greenhouse and then we’re gonna see what else I get to do.

On hot days, Pepper could usually be found in the mulch somewhere. He’s also harvested his share of tomatoes.

I’d started trimming the tomatoes in the greenhouse an episode or two ago, but it was time to clean up.

I didn’t remove many leaves from the determinate tomatoes. They switch to fruit production on their own.

Technically, they don’t need a trellis either but they kept leaning the wrong way. For easier access and better airflow to the fruit, I removed some of the lower leaves.

Have I mentioned that I am paranoid of blight at the moment. Yeah, I know.

The wind was strong but so was the sun. And in the greenhouse, it was getting hot. But the greenhouse was a mess, and I’d pushed off dealing with it. It was time.

I’d also finally trimmed around the outside, so now was my chance to keep grass in check along the edges.

Grass was pushing in everywhere. I had ties one tomato to the shelf, so I couldn’t move it to deal with the grass. So, I struggled to get to the grass around and underneath.

I decided to cover the ground as well as possible to prevent the grass growing back as much. In spring, all my neighbors had collected egg cartons and toilet paper rolls for me. I was still using the last.

The previous owner had left these two trash bags. They were in bad shape, and the first had torn. I stuffed it into the second one and hoped that their combined strength would be enough. A lot of trash had accumulated since we’d built the greenhouse. Now, it’s all properly thrown out.

Pepper was already back in the tomatoes, so I checked on the ginormous pumpkin plant.

Back in the greenhouse, I could now see the melon properly, no longer covered by the trash bag hanging next to it.

The tomatoes were looking great and first flowers and fruit had appeared. Behind and between them, the melons were still climbing the trellises. Hopefully, we’ll get some fruit.

There are a lot of flowers but it is also very late in the season. I’m no convinced there is enough time left.

I planted these in May, so they should already be bearing fruit… But even in the greenhouse, it’s been too cold. There just haven’t been many sunshine hours this year, especially until August. The cucumber is on its last leg, so I assume I’ll take it out to make room soon.

Now that the neighbor was forced to give up his animals on the plot next to mine, he gifted me a lot of rain barrels.

They were currently full, so I started moving water onto my plot. First, I needed one empty barrel.

I pumped the water into my watering cans and watered everything generously, starting with the mushroom beds. There are still no signs of mushrooms but we hope they’ll come up in fall. I’ve been keeping them watered since we started them.

I’d added the last of my Malarbar and New Zealand spinach to the rim of the carrot bed. None sprouted. Of the forty or so seeds I’d gotten last year, three plants made it to more than two leaves.

As soon as the first barrel was empty, this would would get a lot easier.

I moved the first barrel to my land and pumped water into it directly. A lot less hassle than the cans.

Once I’d filled the first barrel, the next was empty, and ready to move onto my plot.

Pepper had not been able to reach the upper tomatoes. Mine, they were.

While the pump pumped, I used the cans to water the greenhouse.

The barrels behind the greenhouse are half empty already. It hadn’t rained in a while. From endless rain to drought. This year has been tough for the plants here.

Okay, I got a lot done. I went back to the garden after lunch, but I only had 45 minutes. So I didn’t take the camera.

I just got done what I needed to get done. And I’ll show you everything next time that we did when we continue the mulching. But I started mulching things.

I mulched the carrots a little bit. I weeded the bean and well, former onion bed. We got a lot done. And all the mulch is where it’s supposed to go.

I just need to spread it out when I come here next time. I just didn’t have time to do that today. But the garden’s looking great and I’m in such a good mood. So yeah, gonna go home, meet some friends. Looking forward to that.

Thank you so much for continually supporting the channel. I couldn’t do this without you.

So long and thanks for being here.