August is an awesome time to look back on all we’ve accomplished in 5 months, especially as we harvest produce. I’m really proud that despite some minor hiccups, e.g. 900+ pea starts and less than 20 mature pods, the forgiving fertility of our tilth and our steep learning curve has produced pretty rich results. Here’s a look at some of what we’ve grown this year:
The bees are to thank for everything, and they’ve given the added bonus of a little less than 100 kilos of honey.
We’ve grown San Marzano (Roma type), slicer and cherry tomatoes.
The watermelons and melons are maturing late but we have at least 20 or so on the vine.
We planted carrots in our synergetic beds, and despite our dense, clayey soil they did well next to peppers, tomatoes, and parsley.
Our “forgotten fruits” orchard, planted with heirloom varieties at risk of extinction, is bearing these almonds, plums, figs, quince and 2 other Italian shrub fruits.
We’ve harvested well over 50 kilos each of eggplants, zucchini, and our special Sicilian cucuzze, but they’re still behind 100 kilos of tomatoes.
Though mostly past now, we’ve harvested Romaine, greenleaf and butter lettuce, plus arugula and fennel (which is mostly eaten here as a bulb.)
Our basil and parsley have thrived next to the San Marzano tomatoes.
We planted lavender, thyme and these calendula in the synergetic beds to attract pollinators. The calendula seeds came from a Permaculture demonstration we attended in May.
The asparagus was one of our first harvests from plantings 5 years ago, set next to squash vines and our figs.
hello! Buddy, the fotos of your harvest? Are these grown in Olympia or elsewhere? Because i have had no luck with basil at all ! What’s your secret ?
The photos are from our summer harvest at Federica’s family farm in Italy. The blog focuses on our adventures in Italy and here as we plan to move to the farm. My advice for basil in the PNW is grow in a sunny window or greenhouse.