lessons, messes and successes in moody summer weather | July garden update
The high, heavy heat of summer has brought both extreme dryness and then lots of rain this month in WNC, zone 7b - and my garden lives on, in its messy-but-productive process.
In the video above, I share a tomato cage hack, the cutest cuc ever, our favorite hearty slicer tomato, plants lost and thriving, and more keeping-it-real peeks in this month's update.
There are a few links below, too.
Honestly, July and August are probably my least favorite months in Asheville because of the thick humidity and heat of our subtropical climate. The mountain elevation helps some, but I find all the lush delicious green of Spring and June starts to crowd and overtake everything so much that I yearn for the cool, clearing of fall.
Gardening helps me spend the hot summer months in healthy, daily, nature-connected ways, though. Rather than choosing the comfort of staying inside over engaging outdoors, I simply tend what needs attention in the longer light of the mornings and evenings. It can be sweaty, physical work… good for the body, mind and soul, and much more enjoyable and budget-friendly than a gym membership.
squash blossom in summer garden
Plus, just as things are feeling overwhelming in the summer garden with all there is to harvest and preserve, plus pests, diseases, and the heat taking over - it’s also, thankfully, the perfect time to begin planning the fall garden - which may be my favorite of all.
homegrown carrots planted in Spring, harvested in Summer
Like a solid rhythm with creative process, the season’s cycles keep turning with invitations to participate simultaneously with what is ending, peaking, and soon to begin again.
I find that to engage with these currents in tandem helps calm any tendency to linger too long in disappointment or perfectionism, and instead embrace the inherent hope, wonder and relational ways of nature/life in motion, ever-changing.
homemade green weed fertilizer tea with comfrey, yarrow and more
Gardening is a process that is messy, chaotic, sometimes exhausting, unpredictable - and equally vibrant, invigorating, and generous with wisdom, nourishment, beauty and creative opportunity.
green garden veggies
green curry made with homegrown vegetables
summer garden daily harvest
If you have tips, comments or stories to share from your gardening experience, please do! You can comment below or over on the video at youtube.
LINKS:
a delicious green goddess dressing we made this month
this spicy, green curry was made for garden fresh cooking
get midsummer prep tips for a fall garden right here
OMG, this fermented smoked kale kraut is delish
*** our current favorite slicer tomato: Aunt Ruby’s German Green - it grows really well in our climate, probably because it’s an heirloom from around here
