I suppose it was bound to happen at some point, I just didn’t quite know when to expect it. Considering most fields around us are onions, I don’t blame the deer for choosing the Russo restaurant. It hasn’t been catastrophic, yet. There are now 2 worn t-shirts and baseball caps acting as scarecrows in the fields.

Chomped Chard

We are gearing up for summer squashes. 5 days ago the small pattypan squashes were about the size of a golf ball. Today, these are about the size of a cantaloupe.

Supersized Pattypan Squash

The cute little crookneck squash from last week? Gigantic. Posed here next to a medium tomato for comparison.

Crooknecked Giant

Harvesting squashes is a prickly proposition. Everything is covered with spiky hairs that go through clothes. The stem is inevitably twisted in an awkward to cut position. Despite their size and color, you never see them all while harvesting from one perspective, making you think they grow every 5 minutes.

Tis truly a pain in the balls. (Sorry, couldn’t resist).

Most snap peas vines are done and yellowed. These are probably the late-seeded peas where I filled in gaps. Considering they weren’t weeded and fussed over, they are performing remarkably well. Must be the cool summer.

No Heat Summer = Happy Snap Peas

There were warnings about severe floods and thunderstorms for the weekend, but it never came. We thought the row of radishes might need a little water… so we tinkered with a gas-powered water pump.

Water Pump

Countdown to corn!

Corn

Most of the sunflowers are open! I’ve heard about sunflowers following the sun, but it doesn’t seem to happen on the farm. They point at the road, all day long. It’s like they realize it’s great marketing and serve as greeters for us.

Sunflower Greeters

Tomatoes are coming in at an alarming rate. The large variety, brandywine, are mostly green or with streaks of orange. They are so large that we can’t always let it ripen on the vine without putting the rest of the plant in jeopardy. The long beans are also starting to produce heavily.

Tomato Art with Long Beans