I had a leisurely Sunday morning in the garden with a fancy coffee. A big storm rolled through overnight, and I was worried it might have damaged my plants.
Curiously, only the chards seemed worse for wear. I cut off the badly damaged leaves, and they will live to see another day.
When my coffee is almost finished, I begin by weeding and pulling yellowing leaves from each section of the plot. The pill bugs are out in full force after the rain. A few days ago I noticed a bit of powdery mildew on one of the squash plants, but I do not see any sign that it has spread. The red mizuna is thinking of going to seed, but the lettuces are growing surprisingly well despite the heat. Yet again, a female zucchini flower is in bloom with no pollen to be found. I harvest six large kale leaves for dinner and a handful of basil. I do, however, find a slug on my largest cauliflower, which has grown from dime- to quarter-sized, and feed it to the community garden chickens.
My Seascape strawberries are wrapping up this flush of fruit. They are sweet and tasty but not exquisite. And I really want to be someone who grows exquisite strawberries.
At first, I thought they were a bit watery from all the rain. But when things dried out, that did not solve the problem. After a bit of research, I am fairly sure the issue is sunlight.
My plot sits between two trees, with a tall fence to the west. That shade is probably why my lettuces are thriving despite the heat. It is also why my strawberries will never receive the full sun they would need to be exquisite.
I am pretty good at solving garden problems. But the sun does not move for me.
I have heard rumors that some strawberry varieties are better at developing flavor with less sunlight. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
