Fruition
It’s been a challenging, yet bountiful and productive month! Like many other areas, Oak Ridge had high heat and drought-like conditions through June and early July, but we are glad to finally have rains which have brought in cooler temperatures. Tomato harvest is finally here and many of our warm season crops are coming to maturity. July seems to usher in a feeling of fruition as many of our warm season plants are getting to a mature size. I think one of the most common learning experiences for new gardeners this season has been how tall indeterminate tomatoes can get!
We had our Season Extension and Fall Gardening workshop on July 10th, where we talked about reasons and techniques for season extension and the new possibilities in growing that come with fall gardening. Many of our gardeners are excited for the fall season as some of them actually prefer eating many of the fall crops. Our gardeners are making another garden map for their fall gardens. Last Thursday, our gardeners picked up their fall seed packets, wire hoops, and AG-19 row cover. They also placed orders for cool season transplants and cover crop seed. We’ve been talking a lot about how different cover crops can help address specific soil issues.
Most of our fall crops in east TN are planted in August and early September, which makes the transition into fall gardening complex in a small space. It is hard to let go of productive summer plants to make room for the fall, but timing is essential. At our meeting, one of our gardeners talked about just ripping that Band-Aid off, telling the plant that it has served us well, and making space for new growth. We’ve also discussed planting in the under spaces of some of our taller summer crops, which offer shade to low growing vegetables that prefer cooler temperatures. One thing that has been discussed is planting in the understory of peppers, which will provide shade and have low growth habits that allow for season extension with row cover, which will also serve a dual purpose in protecting cool season veggies at night time. We also talked about how harvest total logs can help inform when to phase out warm season vegetables. For instance, people could watch their harvest logs to see when squash production starts to taper off.
This year one thing I have noticed and loved our gardeners doing is companion planting to attract beneficial insects. This past month in the garden, one of our gardeners spotted a tobacco hornworm that became food for parasitic wasp larvae! Companion planting this year has been a combination of encouraging planting zinnias and marigolds, while letting some things like dill or cilantro go to seed to encourage other garden visitors. There are so many wonderful layers for learning and exploration in gardening.
We are looking forward to more surprises in August!
